REMINDER:
POSTS HERE UPDATED EVERY DAY OR TWO, SO RETURN FREQUENTLY/
AND, WATCH FOR OUR FAMOUS BLOG ONLY"TEN
DAY SPECIALS"BELOW.

HOW
THIS BLOG WORKS

New plant arrivals, desirable species and requested plants
included
New species described every few days, most recent posts at top
of thread
Jump to older Blog Threads from links below.
Blog discusses palm trees, cycads and tropical plants

LEARN ABOUT
PALM TREES AND CYCADSBrief comments given
below. We trim this thread frequently to maintain 30 day run.
Information on sun requirements and cold tolerance given if available
Pictures of mature specimens shown when possible
In depth posts with lots of photos on some species

PRICING ON
PLANTS SHOWNOn some plants,
pricing given with the post
You can use quick link for all our prices:PALM
PRICESOR CYCAD
PRICES

SPECIALS AND
SALESSpecials below apply
to drop in visits or mail orders. Photos are representative.
All specials have a termination date and always expire when the current
thread expires
Ten Day Specialsexpire
ten days after date of postingand
are marked in red color
For any sale prices, you must mention all Blog Only Sale Prices when
purchasing

This single trunk species is from Brazil and is fairly tall, easily over
30 feet. Habitat specimens are up to 60 feet, similar to the
common Queen Palm. But, this species has a super narrow trunk as
shown here. It is light colored and has rings. Leaves are
plumose and arch. It is a sun species with cold hardiness into the
mid-twenties F. There are quite a few nice specimens in the
Southern CA area. Shown here are large 5g plants. We have
only limited supplies available.

This single trunk species is from Brazil and never gets very tall.
Usually they are never over twenty feet in height. A most
prominent feature of this species are the retained leaf bases as shown
below. It is super slow growing and, when mature, makes sherbet
orange fruits of good size. It is unusual for a Syagrus
because it has modified small spines (more like saw edge prominences) of
the leaf stem. Would I consider it one of the prettiest palms on
the planet? Never! But, cross this plant with pollen from a
Queen Palm and you have one of the best looking palms ever - The Coconut
Queen Palm. See last row of photos below. This latter hybrid
never gets very tall and really resembles a Coconut Palm. Shown in
the first two rows are 5g S. schizophylla. We only have a few.
Want to be the next palm hybridizer? You better get one of these.
If you just want to go for its beautiful offspring, we do have assorted
sizes of them as well.

This single trunk species is from Brazil and can get up to fifty feet
tall. But, you don't have to live in the tropics to grow it.
The last two photos were taken of Mardi Darian's tree in Vista, CA.
For years I worked feverishly to get seeds of the palm that was known at
that time as Barbosa pseudococos. I had heard it had huge
seeds, almost like a small hen's egg. I just loved the name of the
palm. It had been named after a Brazilian botanist. But,
leave it to the taxonomists to rename it by lumping it into a common
genus. In any case, they are quick growing and have a very thin
trunk. This is a very attractive tree. We have limited
numbers. But, the 5g shown came from domestic seeds. So,
there's hope for future growers.

HYOPHORBE VERSCHAFELTII
THE SPINDLE PALM
THE SENIOR CITIZEN GROUP
SUPER OLD TREES

Most of us know what the Spindle Palm,Hyophorbe
verschafeltii,looks
like. But, I thought I'd show you pictures of plants that are at least
fifty years old. I've been following these particular trees
individually for over thirty years and they were large when I first met
them. So, here's the "Senior citizens" of Spindle Palms. The fourth
photo shows the classic bulge in the mid-trunk. But, on some trees
you'll notice this is less apparent - almost as if the central bulge
aborts. I can't comment too much on this other than to say that this
seems true on occasions and the bulge is less apparent. I wish I had
sequential, over the decades, photos of individual trees.

Many are growing this sun-loving species here in Southern California and
the tallest ones I know of are ten to twelve feet tall. References say
twenty feet is maximum and certainly some of these trees are pushing
that height. Cold hardiness is down to about a freeze. At the nursery
we have seedlings, 5g and 15g and maybe a few larger sizes for sale.

Caytoa mitisis a suckering type of Fishtail Palm
from Asia. In habitat, plants can get up to twenty or twenty five
feet. In our locality they tend to be shorter. They do sucker forming
a clump of stems. Trunk diameter is typically about four inches.
Leaves are bi-pinnate, branching. Leaflets are as shown below. The
plants shown here are imported from Hawaii and perfect for a business
office, hotel lobby or bank. Or, for your living room. They like
filtered light outdoors and are cold hardy to the mid to lower 20's F.
Shown are our 5g size. We also have exterior grade 15g for sale (not
shown here). These 5g plants are five to six feet tall in their pots.
They are not difficult to mail order via Federal Express.

If you've ever visited our nursery, you know that we usually have a good
selection of color for the garden. Part of our colorful plant offerings
include Bromeliads. These are low profile plants that have colorful
leaves with blossoms. They are quite easy to grow. Shown here are two
different types ofNerogelia. These
Bromeliads are quite easy to grow and typically have colors of red,
pink, purple and sometimes yellow. Often these colors are solid on the
leaves but can be striped of speckled as the second plant shown here.
They typically like filtered light but some take full sun. One can
actually just plant the containerized Bromeliad right into the ground.
We probably have about thirty different types/species of these plants.
They are easy to mail order.

Enthusiast are always looking for attractive companion plants that don't
get too big. Shown here is what's called the "Birds Nest"Anthurium.
Most of these plants are felt to either be the speciesAnthurium
hookerior a hybrid of it. They are good for filtered
light situations and rarely get over six feet tall. The leaves are
long, wide and very thick to the touch. Their leaf surface is wavy.
The first plants shown are very old 20g. You can see they've formed
trunk with some aerial roots. Next I'm showing our 5g. This is the
size most people buy. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F.
Flowers are red, as are the tiny seeds. These plants are real winners.

Specimen in garden

Photo by Plant Places
Website

Photo c/o Wikipedia

ENCEPHALARTOS DYERIANUSSUPER RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD
NATIVE TO THE TRANSVAAL DISTRICTTEN DAY
SPECIAL 1.5 GALLON SIZE

This sought after and very rare blue to blue-green South African cycad
is native to the Limpopo Province in northern RSA. There it is
critically endangered with a few hundred plants remaining. It lives on
granite mountain slopes at an elevation of about 2000 feet. It prefers
full sun and is an average speed growing species. Mature size is over
ten feet in habitat in centuries. Leaf color in full sun is typically
blue. It is considered one of the more rare of the "Transvaal" South
African cycads. Shown here are 1 to 2 year old germinated seedlings
that we have put into 1.5 gallon pots. They were grown from domestic
seed and pollinated by a very knowledgeable enthusiast. Most have two
leaves. I'm showing five pictures of these plants we're putting on sale
as well as several specimens we have or have had at the nursery. Also
shown are several garden specimens.

REGULAR PRICE 1.5 GALLON $135TEN DAY
SPECIAL 1 GALLON $95

Remember to mention this Blog Special for this price when you purchase.

DYPSIS DECIPIENS
THE MANAMBE PALM
NATIVE TO MADAGASCAR
VARIABLE SPECIES - WITH NUMBER OF TRUNKS AND LEAF/CROWN SHAFT COLOR

TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZEAs with many species of palms from Madagascar, it
seems that they represent more of a "complex" than an exact species with
a consistent appearance. By this I mean, if you pick a species like,
let's say, Dypsis baronii, you'd think they'd all look alike.
But, this is not true. Some sucker, others don't. Some have silver
crown shafts, others are green or yellow. Some have droopy leaves,
others are upright. Thus, we have a "complex" where we'd call it a
Dypsis baronii, but recognize there are lots of variations within
that species.

Such is the case with Dypsis decipiens. Some sucker, some
don't. Some have green crown shafts, others have silver. Some have
plumose leaves, others are flat. And, some even have a blue color to
the leaves. My overall impression is that most will sucker. But, in
the wild with less nutrition and water, you tend to see more single
trunk plants. In domestic gardens they are more likely to have more
than one trunk.

I would say all forms of D.decipiens are similar in culture and
growth. They are fairly cold hardy into the low 20's F and maybe into
the upper teens F. Because of this, many people in colder areas are
trying them. When repotting or planting, be super careful with the
roots. Trauma can kill them. They like to be reared in less than full
sun when young but then exposed to full sun when larger, especially
along the coast. They do not like the combination of cold and wet; rot
may develop. For all, growth rate is very slow. It takes 5 to 6 years
for me to grow a good sized 5g plant. We are putting this size on sale
for ten days.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $69.50
The first five photos show the 5g we're putting on Special. The next
row shows plants in the Encinitas area with silver crown shafts. The
last row has two plants in habitat, one suckering. The very last photo
is also from a garden in Encinitas and suckered. Remember: Mention
this Special for this discounted Blog Only Price when you purchase to
get the discount.

The Pony Tail or Elephant Palm is not actually a palm at all. For
some reason it received this common name and most people think it's a
real palm - but it's not. It is native to the states of
Tamaulipas, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi in eastern Mexico.
Beaucarnea recurvata is known for a super swollen base, a much more
narrow ascending vertical trunk and strap like green leaves of heavy
substance. The base of this species can take on very peculiar and
distorted forms. The vertical woody trunk can fork and give
multiple heads of leaves. Or, multiple stems can arise from the
swollen base. It prefers full sun and is cold hardy into the mid
to lower 20's F. Cold may damage the leaves but typically plants
come back. I've seen photos of bases so large that a small Jeep in
parked on the base.

Four photos show these starter plants on sale. I'm also showing
other sizes of nursery plants we have for sale and a photo from
Wikipedia of a specimen plant. But, they do get much larger and
more swollen at the base than this photo shows.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 4 INCH PLANTS $30
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 4 INCH $20
Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special when you purchase!

CEROXYLON QUINDIUENSETHE TALLEST PALM IN THE WORLDSO. AMERICAN - COLUMBIA AND NO. PERUFAIRLY COLD HARDY - HARD TO FIND SPECIES
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE SEEDLINGSThis tall, fairly cold hardy palm is native to mountainous regions in
Columbia and Peru. It has been grown by many in colder areas
including parts of the coastal San Francisco Bay Area. It has a
gray to white columnar trunk with upright green leaves that have a
silver color to the underside. Trunks show prominent rings and are
covered with a waxy material that is used in foods in native localities.
Mature specimens in the wild have been reported to be almost 200 feet
tall. It likes humidity and moisture and can tolerate temperatures
into the upper teens F. It prefers to start growing into filtered
light and to work its way into full sun.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $45
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE BAND PLANTS $35Remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase to
get your discounted price.

Ceroxylon quindiuense

Habitat photo c/o Wikipedia

BECCARIOPHOENIX FENESTRALIS
AKA "BECCARIOPHOENIX
WINDOWS""

LARGER PINNATE PALM FROM MADAGASCAR
TEN DAY SPECIAL RARELY SEEN 15G SIZE

It was not too long ago when
Beccariophoenix was felt to be a monotypic genus with only one
species. Now it is recognized that there are three different species:

Beccariophoenix species "windows", presently called
Beccariophoenix fenestralis.Beccriophoenix madagascarensis, previously known as "Beccariophoenix
no windows"Beccariophoenix alfredii, a more recently named species.

All three are single trunk, medium to large plants from Madagascar.
Along the coast, all can take full sun. Estimated cold hardiness is
into the mid and perhaps lower 20's F. The species we're putting on
special is the 15g size of the "windows" variety, B. fenestralis.
You'll not see these around hardly at all in Southern California.
This "windows" form has leaf openings, similar to small window panes, in
the leaf - between the leaflets. With time these disappear and it
becomes a pinnate palm.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON THIS RARE PALM
$225
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE $195
Remember: Mention this Special to get your discount when you buy. Also
shown below is a boxed specimen. The garden photo, from Wikipdia, is
probably this "fenestralis" species. We only have a few left
of this species.

Euterpe edulis
is a fun palm to grow because it is super
attractive, has a narrow trunk and a beautiful, smooth crown shaft.
I have had several in my garden. On mine, the crown shafts were a
purple-green color but it's more common to see them as a lime green.
Maximum height is about thirty feet with about a four inch thick trunk.
Leaves tend to arch down and leaf color is green. This species
likes to start in filtered light and work it's way into full sun along
the coast. It's cold hardy into the upper teens F.
Anticipate a plant life of about thirty years. Also of note is the
fact that the hearts of this palm are edible and a delicacy in many
areas.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $85TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $60
Remember to mention this Blog Special when purchasing to get this price.

We are pleased to offer a few 5 gallon size of
Trachycarpus princeps. This species is, by
far, the most sought after of all Windmill Palms. Some call it the
"Silver Back Windmill".

It is from China and
discovered about 20 years ago by Gibbons and Spanner. It comes
from an elevation of approximately five to six thousand feet.
Trunk height gets to about thirty feet and is covered by a fibrous brown
material. But, it is the leaves that make this such a sought-after
species. One of the most sought after varieties is from an area in
China called "Stone Gate" and has almost white discoloration to the
backs of the leaves. So, when one looks up at this tree, the
silver-blue color is very obvious. There are also tiny teeth on
the petioles. The leaves are about four feet wide on two to three
foot petioles. Young plants may not show the blue color to the
underside of the leaves when juvenile. However, sometimes it does
appear on small plants. Seeds are very difficult to obtain from
habitat so consequently plants are expensive.

We only presently have two of these for sale.
I wish to thank R.M, MG/TS and SR for their photos used below.

Photo by M

Photo by TS/MG

SUNDAY, 28 JANUARY, 2018

WODYETIA BIFURCATA
THE FOXTAIL PALM

TREES IN FRUIT

Wodyetia bifurcata, a species from Queensland, Australia, is
known for it's fluffy leaves, medium stature and bright red and large
fruit. Shown here are several plants in fruit in various stages. Fruit
first appears green. Fruit will attain full size but still be green.
Then it changes to a light yellow, then to orange and finally to a
prominent red. At this red stage it may fall to the ground. When red,
it is ready to be removed and germinated. Green fruit germinates
poorly. Fruit size is about like a small chicken egg. Seeds inside are
brown and prominently grooved.

Tree with ripe red fruit. On the left there is
green fruit, ripe on the right.

Shown below are two unique and super rare Bromeliad hybrids. One of the
parents isVriesia imperialis(akaAlcantarea
imperialis). These plants show mottled purple, silver and green on
the top of the leaves and are an intense purple-red on the underside.
The plants shown are about two feet across presently and mature can be
three to four feet wide with a similar height. This family is
among the largest of all Bromeliads. They like filtered light
and are cold hardy down to a freeze. They are about the epitome of
exotic and rare Bromeliads. Parentage comes from South America. From
time to time we do have these, the King of the Bromeliad Family,
available. Sometimes I have to special order them. If you
really want one, just let us know. BTW, these are fairly old
plants. The garden photo in the last row of photos is of theV.
imperialismother.

LIVISTONA SARIBUS

This medium to tall fan palm is native to
southeast Asia. It can get to heights of thirty-five feet or more. It
is an interesting palm that is easy to grow and has a very ornamental
leaf with deep divisions of the segments. Its segment almost make a
complete circle. Leaf color is green. The spines on the petioles tend
to be dark in color and dramatic, usually the thing most people remember
most about this species. Another interesting thing is that the seed
fruit is blue in color as shown below. It is a sun species and cold
hardy into the mid-twenties at least. The 15g on sale is good sized.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $185TEN DAY SPECIAL
15G $160

Just mention this Blog Special for this price when you purchase.

BRAHEA DECUMBENSDWARF, BLUE, SUCKERING SUN PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL 1.5 GALLON SIZE

This easy to grow Mexican fan palm hardly ever
gets over five feet tall. In the sun, it gets super blue, suckers and
doesn't have a large footprint in the garden. Surprisingly, when young,
plants are green in color. But, outdoors in the sun, I guarantee that
they'll turn blue. Leaves are small compared to other Braheas.
It is rare and, unfortunately, very slow growing. I am showing here
our 1.5 gallon plants which are about 4 years old. They are quite old
for their containers. This species will take sun in all areas and does
not like shade. It does well in desert areas. Cold tolerance is about
17 to 18 degrees. We're offering both sizes on a ten day special. And,
for this slow growing species, they are oversized in their pots. After
a little acclimation, put them right into your garden!

REGULAR PRICE 1.5 GALLON $50TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $39

Easy to ship. But, you must mention this Blog Only
Special when purchasing to get these prices.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMA
LARGEST DESCRIBED SPECIES KING PALM FAMILY

FAST GROWING, BEAUTIFULTEN DAY SPECIAL
5G PLANTS

Common Name(s): Walsh
River Palm
Native Locality: In
the Atherton Tableland, south and west of Cairns, Queensland,
Australia. Elevation there is 3500 feet.
Overall Height: In
habitat up to 70 or 80 feet
Trunk Diameter: Thicker
than all the other species, up to 18 inches. Some swelling at base.
Leaf Length: 10
to 12 feet, upright, slightly twisted. The petiole is very short, i.e.
leaflets start near the trunk.
Leaflets: Minimally
silver underneath (other species more prominent) and no ramentaCrown Shaft Color: Green
with hints of yellow or blue
Presence of Ramenta: Absent
Flower Color: Creamy-white
in color. Note that this species has the largest flowers of anyArchontophoenix
Other Comments: Probably
the largest species of the family. It has upright, rigid leaves (not
arched) and a thick trunk. Good growing palm for sun and with cold
tolerance of about 25 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $60

Mention this special when you purchase for
your discount. For the specimen plants below I wish to thank L.N. and
P.D.

CERATOZAMIA MEXICANA
LUSH & TROPICAL EXOTIC CYCAD

UNDERSTORY - FILTERED LIGHT
GET THEM BEFORE THEY GO INTO BOXES!TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE CONING SIZED 15G PLANTS

Last year we acquired a few dozen absolutely huge
15 gallon Ceratozamia mexicana. This is the "prototype" of the
Ceratozamias. yet still fairly uncommon at nurseries. It is
native to tropical mountains in eastern Mexico where it grows in humid
or arid areas under forest trees. It is very cold hardy, probably going
into the upper teens. It is easy to grow in the SF Bay area. It has
green leaves that spread horizontally as shown here. Leaflets are long
and come to a point but aren't that sharp. It is slow growing and a
fifty year old plant has a caudex that reaches only about 18 inches
height. It prefers filtered light.

The plants on sale are about twelve years old or
more by estimate. They have seen our local cold, being outdoor grown in
northern SD County under shade cloth. There are many to choose from.
Caudex size ranges from six to nine inches (size on sale). Many have
coned, so we could pick a sexed pair if one requests. All are from the
same seed batch.

REGULAR PRICE THIS CAUDEX SIZE $550TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE BATCH 15G $385Just mention this special at time of
purchase to get your discount. These plants are shippable right to your
door. They are instant understory landscape and all are gorgeous. And,
they are a bargain at this price and will (within a short time) all go
into boxes and be sold at a much higher price. The first two rows of photos are examples of the
plants on sale right now.

soft, newly emerged leaf

male cone this species, one of the sale plants

picture of garden specimen

TILLANDSIA CLUSTERSMANY AIRPLANTS IN ONE BUNCH

SOME MOUNTED - SOME NOT
AND READY FOR TREE TRUNKS OR HANGINGTEN DAY SPECIAL
TWO SIZES!
GOING INTO BLOSSOM IN SPRING!

These New World epiphytic plants are great fun.
They are one of the many genera of Bromeliads. Native to regions
stretching from the Southern US down to South America, these plants
attach to tree trunks, branches, posts, fences or anything they can
find. Most do not live in the ground. They live off of natural
rainfall or humidity and are not harmful to the hosting plant/tree. All
will flower. Flower color depends on the species. These flowers appear
in spring-summer. We have multiple varieties. Most growers divide
plants into single plants and sell them one at a time. We are offering
bunches of many plants together. Some bunches are a decade old. You
can put them on a piece of bark, wood or whatever you want. We have
both un-mounted and mounted on wood plants. They are easy to care for
outside. Of note, they are not super expensive but are not cheap. This
is because they are so old.

The
first two rows show the medium sizes. The last row shows large.

REGULAR PRICE CLUSTER MEDIUM, $50TEN DAY SPECIAL
CLUSTER MEDIUM $40
TEN DAY SPECIAL CLUSTER LARGE $75TEN DAY SPECIAL
CLUSTER LARGE $50

PLANTS MOUNTED ON WOOD ARE $10 MORE PER PLANT THAN UN-MOUNTED CLUSTERS.

Remember: Mention this Blog Special for your discount. Weather
permitting, I can ship these but they take a good sized box sometimes,
especially if mounted.

CHAMAEDOREA GLAUCIFOLIA
SUPER SIMILAR TO C. PLUMOSA

TAKES A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUNTEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE

It's been quite a while since I've offered this
Chamaedorea. It is very similar to Chamaedorea plumosa
- except: The plumosa has a more plumose leaf and takes a
little more sun. But, the glaucifolia has the silver powder on
the leaf stems and crown shaft as shown here. This is quite attractive
and typically very prominent. Otherwise, you would mistake the two.
These 5g and multiples. This is a single trunk species. Mature height
is about 14 feet. It takes almost full sun on the coast and is quick
growing. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $75TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $55

Mention this Special for your discount when you purchase.

TRITHRINAX CAMPESTRIS
BLUE, SUCKERING FAN PALM
VERY COLD HARDY

LIMITED NUMBER OLD SUCKERING 5GTEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This South American suckering fan palm comes from
Argentina and Uruguay. From these locations, you might suspect it could
have quite a bit of cold hardiness, and this is the case with not only
this species of Trithrinax,but of the
genus as a whole. Availability of seeds of this species has been sparse
to nonexistent. And, as a young plant, it is quite slow growing.
Consequently, to get a good sized container plant can take a decade or
more. We were fortunate to offer some very nice 5g plants as shown
below. I'd estimate their age at 7 years. They are dividing and very
chunky at the base. They are totally acclimated to full hot sun and are
intensely blue. This is a perfect selection for someone who lives in an
interior area with lots of heat.

Overall height of this species is up to twenty feet. Multiple stems are
produced, but usually the number is just several. Leaves are small,
typically about two feet wide. The segments of the leaves are pointed
and sharp. Trunks retain old leaf bases but, like
Washingtonia, eventually fall off. This is
a drought tolerant species and can take temperatures well into the 100's
F. and cold tolerance is into the teens. Of note, most specimens I've
seen are blue. The last two photos show a mature plant that is
blue-green in color, probably due to the fact that it's not getting full
sun.

REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $95TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $75

But, remember to mention this special when purchasing to get this price.

15 gallon size

garden plant

garden plant

PHOENIX LOUREIROI VARIETY HANCEANAMOUNTAIN DATE PALM

SINGLE TRUNK - MEDIUM SIZE
ALTERNATIVE TO LARGE CANARY PALMTEN DAY SPECIAL
5G SIZE

Shown here are some 5g plants of seeds that were
labeled "Phoenix loureiroi variety hanceana". There's always
been confusion on naming this particular palm. But, there are two
varieties ofP. loureiroi.
The variety discussed here and shown isPhoenix
loureiroi variety loueiroiand
this one is synonymous withhanceana. It
is a medium height, single trunk, armed pinnate palm from various
regions in Asia. Habitat stretches from central Asia down to the
Philippines. Mature height is variable but usually under twenty feet.
The specimen shown in Balboa Park, San Diego below is 20 years old and
ten feet tall. It's a sun species with a cold tolerance to at least the
low 20's F.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $75TEN DAY SPECIAL
5G $55

Remember: Mention this Special!

BRAHEA
ARMATATHE MEXICAN BLUE FAN
PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE PLANTS

This species of blue fan palm is not only known
for its intense blue color but also for the fact that it is extremely
cold hardy. It goes down to about 16 degrees. It prefers dry heat and
is a challenge to grow in humid areas. These 25g plants have nice color
and are sun acclimated. They are begging to be planted into someone's
garden. This species is also very drought tolerant.

REGULAR PRICE BAND $35
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $25

Just mention this Blog Special to get this nice
discount. On the mature trees below, note the prominent blue color of
the leaves. This is the hallmark of this species.

TRACHYCARPUS WAGNERIANUSA MORE PETITE SPECIES
OF THE WINDMILL PALM

SMALL, STIFF LEAVESEXCELLENT COLD
HARDINESS
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLD BAND SIZED PLANTS

This interesting palm, known as the Dwarf Chusan
Palm, does not have a well known natural habitat. Some think it may
have originated with a dwarf cultivar ofT.
fortunei. It is very slow growing
with a hairy trunk. Leaves mature are about two feet across, stiff and
flat and do not flex down at the ends. A decades old plant may have a
trunk under ten feet tall. It wants full sun and may be equally as cold
hardy (down to 15 degree F. or colder) as the common Windmill Palm. The
bands on special are three years old and already showing their fan
leaves.

REGULAR PRICE
BAND $40TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $30

Remember to mention this Special for your
discount when you purchase.

CRYOSOPHILA STAURACANTHASMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED
TROPICAL FAN PALM

SILVER UNDERSIDE TO
THE LEAVESMODIFIED SPINES ON
TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This single trunk fan palm is native to Southern Mexico and parts of
Central America. It can get up to a height of 25 feet but most garden
specimens are under 15 feet. Two things are quite noteworthy: First,
the undersides of the leaves are a silver-white. A picture below of a
nursery plant shows this. Secondly, the trunk is narrow and covered
with "modified" spines. They are not real sharp and are not true
spines. The dorsal side of the leaves is green. This palm likes strong
filtered light and right on the coast may take part day sun. Cold
tolerance is estimated to be in the high 20's F. Growth rate is
medium. The last photo by Tobias Spanner shows a near mature tree. You
have to have an overhead crown of leaves to really see the silver color.

REGULAR PRICE
BAND $40TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $30

Remember to mention this Special for your discount when you purchase.

CAVENDISH FRUITING BANANAS
COLD HARDY

WILL PRODUCE BANANAS IN MANY AREAS!
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS

I am not really a fruit tree grower and don't
pretend to be an expert on this subject. But, I just couldn't pass up
the opportunity to offer on sale a very cool fruit producing banana
species. These Cavendish Bananas are a dwarf species. They really
don't get overhead. And, they easily make ample amounts of small banana
fruit. They like sun and have a nice cold hardiness to at least 25
degrees or colder. Most folks in this area have no problem growing them
or getting nice bananas. I also have larger sizes.

REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $65TEN DAY SPECIAL
$45

Just mention this special when purchasing to get this price.

5 gallon size shown here

THURSDAY, 25 JANUARY, 2018

ENCEPHALARTOSBLUELONGIFOLIUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD
LEAF COLOR THIS SPECIMEN VERY BLUE
STACKED LEAFLETS - MINIMAL IF ANY SPINES
PRESENTATION OF A NICE GARDEN SPECIMEN

This rare South African cycad is also from the Eastern Cape region of
South Africa. It is a good sized cycad with leaf color variable
from dark green to brilliant blue. Trunks can reach a height of
twelve feet or more. Leaf lengths are four to six feet with
stacking leaflets and minimal if any spines when mature. Leaves
are often curled downward toward their ends. Leaf color can be
anything from a dark olive green to a brilliant blue. Most plants
are somewhere in-between. It loves full sun along the coast but in
desert areas would want a few hours of sun. Cold tolerance is
about 22 degrees F.

When new customers visit the nursery to get a cycad, this is invariably
one of the species on the top of their list. It is a drop dead
beautiful plant when grown well. I showing below a coning sized
plant from a garden in El Cajon, CA. This is about ten miles east
of San Diego. It has seen super hot summer weather and cold
temperatures into the mid-twenties F. The last photo is of a
starter 15g plant at the nursery.

Pritchardia lanaiensis is from
mountainous elevations on the island of Lanai. For years we grew it
and, as you'll see with this nursery plant, the leaves are not droopy.
The fifth photo below by Eikoff shows what I'd expect as our plant would
mature. But, recently authorities have lumped P. lanaisensis in
with Pritchardia glabrata, shown in the last photo. Note the
super droopy ends on the leaves of the latter. It doesn't appear to be
the same to me. In any case, this is a small to medium height species
native only to Lanai. It has green, rather flat leaves. We only have a
few for sale.

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM
ONE OF THE BEST INTERIOR PALMS

ALSO GREAT UNDERSTORY GARDEN PLANTTEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE, FULL 15G SIZE
FANTASTIC DEAL - NEAR INTERIOR QUALITY

We just got in about an assortment of Lady
Palms which are near perfect - almost as nice as the expensive ones we
bring in out of Hawaii. But, they are locally grown and better priced.
And, we are offering them on special. Have you ever wondered why you
hardly ever see Rhapis on sale? It's because they are super
slow growing. The plants shown here are eight, maybe ten years old.
Therefore, growers have little motivation to sell them cheap. The
plants shown here are nice enough for a bank or hotel lobby, a
professional office or even your living room.

Rhapis excelsa is native to Asia and typically doesn't get much
over 8 feet tall in a pot. They do great in shady locations of the
garden or inside the home. They are a very nice patio plant. Cold
hardiness is about 20 degrees F. They want low dose fertilizer. Too
much fertilizer will burn them. The plants on special here are 15g
size, very full with lots of canes. They won't last long.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 15G $375TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $275

Important: Mention this Blog Only Offering for
this price when you purchase.

DIOON CALIFANOI
MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD
KEELED, ARCHING LEAVES

TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZE

There is some type of seductive quality to this
rare species of Dioon. I think it's because of the compact,
rigid, keeled and curved leaves. At times they are a bit bizarre
appearing - but very appealing. This is a species that takes on the
mature appearance over time. As a young plant you might think it's a
"ho-hummer". But, as it ages, it develops its traditional appearance
and gets more attractive. Leaves are four to five feet long. In a
domestic situation, a plant with a three foot trunk would be enormous.
It takes full sun and is cold hardy into the lower 20's F.

REGULAR PRICE CIT POT $195TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT $145

Remember to mention this Blog Special for this
price when you purchase. This size is easy to mail order.

DICHORISANDRA THYRIFLORATHE BLUE GINGER - HARD TO FIND

TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G & 7G PLANTSThis is actually not a true Ginger at all. It is
native to all areas of the new world including the U.S. It produces
actual blue flowers. We have a limited number of 7g for sale. They are
quite nice and we're putting them on special. They are in very limited
numbers. When these are gone, there may be no more until next year.
This species wants filtered light in a warmer coastal area. In
somewhat colder regions, they may freeze but usually the underground
bulbs come back in spring. They get to about five feet tall. This plant
is not for full, hot sun.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 5G & 7G PLANTS $125TEN DAY SPECIAL $85 THIS SIZE

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when
purchasing.

DYPSIS DECARYITHE TRIANGLE PALM

NATIVE TO MADAGASCAR
MATURE HEIGHT A BIT OVER TWENTY FEETTEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 5G SIZE

This single trunk, sun loving pinnate palm from
southern Madagascar gets to a height of about twenty feet or a bit
more, likes full, hot sun and is cold tolerant to about 23 degrees F.
Shown here are recently acquired huge 5g size. We do have many sizes
for sale including large 1 gallon, 15g and a few larger 25g. Maximum
height of this species is 20 to 25 feet. Growth rate is medium.

REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $85TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $59

Just mention this Blog Special when purchasing to get this special
price. Be aware these are so tall that shipping is not cheap.

LIVISTONA CHINENSIS
THE CHINESE FAN PALM
BIG FLAT GREEN LEAVES

TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 1G

This Asian palm is quite attractive with its
large and flat green leaves. It is slow growing. The 1g on special
here are 3 years old and very nice. This plant takes full or part day
sun and is cold hardy into the teens F. Many have grown this species
as a houseplant. Easy to ship. BTW, this price is the same as a band
yet these 1g are three times larger.

REGULAR PRICE 1G $40TEN DAY SPECIAL 1G $30

Remember,
mention this Special for this price!

BRAHEA ELEGANS
THE FRANCESHI PALM

MEDIUM SIZE MATURETEN DAY SPECIAL
1G SIZE

You don't see this species offered that
often. It is native to the Pacific coastal mountains from Central
Mexico down to Guatemala. It has circular leaves that tend to be flat
and a very glossy green on the upper side. The underside of the
leaves can be a bit silver. Trunk diameter is a pleasant 12 inches
and specimens can reach 30 feet of height after many decades.

Regarding culture, it is not quite as cold
hardy as otherBraheaspecies
likearmata, clara and
decumbens. I'd
suspect it may go into the upper teens F. It is more tolerant of
moisture and can be grown in filtered light if there's good drainage.
In the latter conditions the leaves are large, flat and shiny. They
sort of look like aLicualaleaf.

We just got in a limited number of nice 1g
plants. They are easy to ship.

REGULAR PRICE 1G $45TEN DAY SPECIAL
THIS SIZE $35

You must mention this Blog Only Special to get
this price when you purchase

WODYETIA BIFURCATA
THE FOXTAIL PALM
NEW ARRIVAL - SQUAT 15G MULTIPLES
MORE THAN ONE PLANT PER POT!
TEN DAY SPECIAL

The Foxtail Palm, Wodyetia bifuracata,
is native to Queensland, Australia and is a single trunk palm. It gets
to about twenty-five feet height, has fluffy plumose leaves, is crown
shafted as shown below and is single trunk. It loves heat and sun.
I've grown these plant for several decades as a single trunk palm - one
plant per pot. But, over the past few years have been getting more and
more calls from people looking for several in one pot. I just haven't
grown them this way. But, because so many people asked for them, I came
across and purchased a supply of "multiples". These have four to five
plants in each pot. This seems a bit peculiar to me, but who knows?
I'm showing some photos below of several triples in domestic gardens.
We have limited numbers of these multiples. They are seven to eight
feet tall in their pots.

REGULAR PRICE THESE SQUAT 15G MULTIPLES $195TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS GROUP $160
Remember: Mention this Blog Special when you purchase.

WALLICHIA DISTICHASINGLE TRUNK, LEAVES IN ONE PLANE
A VERY INTERESTING AND PECULIAR PALMTEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This is an unusual palm that has all of
its leaves in a single plane. That is to say from the front, it
is a fairly large, "Caryota-appearing" palm tree. But,
looking from the side, it is narrow and you can hardly see it.
The dictionary definition of "distichous" is: "Arranged
in two vertical rows on opposite sides of an axis: distichous
leaves." In this case, the trunk of the palm
is the axis.

This species is native to the Himalaya Mountains in Asia,
spreading from northern India across to northern Thailand.
There it grows at altitudes of up to 4000 feet. Because of it's
heritage and as you might guess, it does have some cold
hardiness and can easily be grown in many areas of Southern
California. It tolerates temperatures down to about the mid to
upper twenties F. It prefers full sun. Mature height is about
30 feet. Usually this species is single trunk, but in the wild
suckering specimens are found. This is not to confuse it with
another suckering species,Wallichia densiflora, which
is always a clustering species.

Wallichiacould be confused withArengaandCaryota,both
of which are also from the same part of the world. All have
leaflets that have jagged or toothed apical ends as shown here.
All also go through a flowering process that begins at the upper
trunk and works its way down the trunk over time. And, all have
stems that die after suckering. When there is only one stem (as
with this species), the tree will die after it flowers. Seeds
ofWallichia distichaare
very small as shown here. The back sides ofWallichiaandArenga
leaflets are silver whereasCaryotasare
green on the back side. This helps in identifying the genus.
Trunks ofWallichia disticha are also
covered with dense brown fibers as shown here.

We have very limited numbers of this rare species for sale. For
someone who likes different species, this one is for you.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $95TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE $65

But, remember to mention this Special to get your discount.

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

DARK GREEN CROWN SHAFTTEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON SIZE

What good fortune is it that New Caledonia can
claim to be the home of all Chambeyronia. Included is this
species, C. macrocarpa. It is a slow growing, pinnate, crown
shafted palm that gets to a height of about 30 feet. It has a dark
green to green-black crown shaft. Compare this to C. hookeri
above with it's yellow crown shaft. Leaves are wide, thick and
leathery to the touch. With good culture, maybe you can get three new
leaves a year. About one in twenty plants fail to throw a new red
leaf - rather, it remains green. This is just bad luck and there's no
way to predict which will do this. Shown here are 1 gallon plants
we're putting on sale. We do have larger and smaller sizes
available. Coastal sun is tolerated although strong filtered light is
ok for most areas. This is a great garden palm.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $50TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $40

Just mention this special when you buy. I
thank TS at RPS for usage of his photo below.

TRACHYCARPUS
FORTUNEITHE WINDMILL PALM
ONE OF THE MOST COLD HARDY PALMS

CHUNKY 15G ON TEN DAY SPECIAL

Trachyarpus fortunei is the most
commonly available and commonly grown of the Windmill Palms. It is of
Chinese origin . It is referred to as the Chinese Windmill Palm, the
Windmill Palm, or the Chusan Palm. Note how the term "Windmill Palm"
can refer to this particular species or to the genus as a whole. It is
not uncommon to see it growing in colder areas of the United States,
southern Europe, the Mediterranean and southern portions of Australia
and Africa.

Most specimens one will see are in the height range
of ten to twenty feet. However, the oldest of trees may reach
forty feet height. The actual trunk diameter is typically six to
ten inches. The leaves are typically about three feet in diameter
and have variable division of the segments. Leaves are green on the
upper side and below, but it is not uncommon for one can see a bit of
blue discoloration to the underside of the leaf. Distal leaf
segments can flex downward toward the ground. Shown here are two
nicely size nursery plants that are in 15g size and are representative
this size size at the nursery.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $175

TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $135Remember to mention this Special when you
purchase.

This palm species is a fan palm that is
native to Queensland. We've found it to be quick growing. It'll
attain a mature height of 60 feet or more. Trunk diameter is about 12
to 18 inches. Its leaf stems are armed as shown here. It prefers
full sun, even in desert areas. I've read reports of it tolerating
snow in Georgia. I'd estimate cold tolerance to be at least 20
degrees F. The 5g on Special are nice size and ready for repot or
planting in the garden. When mature, the leaflets droop downwards.
This species was previously known as "Carnavon Gorge".
Habitat photo c/o M.C. in Australia.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE $55

Just mention this Blog Special at time of
purchase for your blog only discount. These would be easy to ship.

SUNDAY, 21 JANUARY, 2018

BUTIA CAPITATA BLUE
EASY TO GROW, NOT TOO TALL
SUPER BLUE COLOR

SUPER COLD HARDY
SUPER NICE!TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G PLANTS

For about a decade we've been offering this very
desirable and sought after variety of Butia that has a nice
blue color. Otherwise, it's quite similar to the regular gray-green
Pindo Palm. The problem is we always run out of them. To satisfy our
customer demand, we recently got in some more of the 15g size. But,
there are very limited numbers. We are offering them at one of the best
prices we've ever offered. This palm loves full hot sun and can take
down to 15 degrees F. So, almost all of you can grow this palm.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $185TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $145

Just remember: Mention this Blog Special for
your discount. We can easily mail order this size.

PRITCHARDIA REMOTA
OVERHEAD TROPICAL FAN PALM
NATIVE TO HAWAII

TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This attractive fan palm is native to the
islands of Kauai and Nihau in the Hawaiian chain. It lives at about 500
feet elevation or more in dry forests. There, some plants are found on
dry cliffs. Maybe because of its natural habitat, it does quite well in
Southern California. Plants get up to about 25 feet height with a
narrow trunk for their height. Leaves are green with some divisions of
the leaf segments. Old leaves may form a petticoat on the trunk as
shown here. Fruit is medium-large in size, up to 3/4 of an inch.
Culturally, this species takes full sun on the coast and wants morning
sun further inland. Cold tolerance is down to 25 to 27 degrees F.
The plants on sale are one gallon although we may have larger sizes
available.

This species of exotic palm is from the island
of Madagascar. It is the third of three Beccariophoenix
species described from this palm-loaded country. It is so sought after
because some feel that it's the prettiest species of the three. And,
because is may possess the best cold hardiness. I've documented other
Beccariophoenix species tolerating temperatures below 25
degrees at our nursery. So, this species may survive in areas like San
Francisco, Phoenix and Houston. It grows to a height of about thirty
feet and does not have a crown shaft. Leaves are long and minimally
curved. The crown of leaves are densely placed. Growth rate is medium
in most areas and along the coast it likes sun. This species is rather
hard to find. We're putting our limited supplies of 5g plants on ten
day special.

REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $95TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $75

You must mention this Internet-only special when
purchasing to get this price. Limited supplies available.

Several years ago
we received from one of our customers about twenty Lepidozamia
peroffskyana seedlings in one gallon pots. They came from
domestic seeds from his place of business. The business had planted an
assortment of these plants. Over the years they've grown and there
proved to be both sexes in the planting. Without any hand pollination,
seeds were formed. And, they proved to be good seeds. And, they've
grown great! This species will take full sun right on the coast but
most enthusiasts give it part day sun or strong filtered light. It
needs some horizontal room as it makes a larger cycad. Cold tolerance
is actually quite good, perhaps into the upper teens F. Folks are
growing this plant in the SF Bay Area without a problem. Leaves are
soft to the touch and without any spines. I am showing the 1 gallon
sale plants in the first two photos along with a citrus pot and boxed
specimen. Be aware that we recently got in a large collection of huge
specimens of this species.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $55TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $45

Just mention this Special at the time of
purchase for this price. These are easy to ship.

SABAL
MINORDWARF, COLD HARDY FAN
PALM

TEN DAY SALE BAND
SIZE

This is a dwarf species of fan palm from the southern United States and
is commonly found in the state of Texas. It rarely gets foliage
overhead with an average height of four to seven feet. It has a long
petiole and a small leaf. The blossom produces an ample supply of small
black seeds and juts upward above the foliage. This is often a way to
identify it as it produces flowers and fruit as a smaller plant.

It takes sun and can tolerate part day sun. Cold tolerance is
excellent, probably about 16 degrees F. We're offering our band size on
species. These are shown in the first three photos. I've also shown
garden plants. Be aware we have other, larger sizes for sale as well.

REGULAR PRICE BAND
SIZE $35
TEN DAY SPECIAL BANDS $25

These are easy to mail in their pots. Just mention this Blog Special
when ordering to get this price.

BRAHEA DULCIS
MEDIUM SIZED ATTRACTIVE FAN PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL
BAND SIZE

This good looking fan palm comes from southern Mexico as well as
various countries in Central America. There is variability in this
species: Some plants are green, others blue. Some specimens get to
twenty feet, others remain shorter. And, some even sucker to make
multiple trunks. But, all are attractive. Over time, leaf bases fall
away to give a smooth trunk. We're offering our band size on these at
a good discount. Easy to ship. The first band shown is a double, not
suckering. This species likes part sun or full sun along the coast
and is cold hardy to about 20 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE
BAND SIZE THIS SPECIES $40TEN DAY SPECIAL
THIS SIZE $30

You must mention this special to get this price.

EUPHORBIA TIRUCALLI
STICKS OF FIRE PLANT

BRIGHT RED IN SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS

Sticks of Fire is a type of Euphorbia native to Africa and perhaps parts
of the Middle East. Generally, it doesn't get too tall but can make a
large bush. In bright sun, leaves can take on a very red color. It
survives in harsh climates and is drought resistant. Plants shown here
are in 5g pots and, in bright sun, will turn red over time. It does
exude a white, toxic sap that should not make contact with the eyes.
Leaves are tubular and narrow. Color can be impressive. At our late
Fall Sale last month, these were so popular that we've brought them in
again. The photo with the nice color is from an unknown author.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $55
SALE PRICE THIS SIZE $35

ORANGECLIVIA

OVERSIZED PLANTS
SPRING BLOOMER
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5G PLANTS

Cliviaare one of everyone's favorites for
Spring. This is because they reliably blossom this time of year in our
locality. The plants shown here are the orange variety. They have huge
blossoms that come on in the spring. These are big plants, all
suckering - so they'll give multiple flowers. They like filtered light
and are cold hardy to the low 20's F. Of note, we also offer the rare
yellow form ofClivia, but they are not on sale.
Photo of flowers were taken in the spring and the garden shot is from
unknown author on Flikr.

REGULAR PRICE 0RANGE THIS SIZE $45TEN DAY SPECIAL
THIS SIZE $35

Just mention this Special when purchasing to get the discount.

ZAMIA FURFURACEA
THE CARDBOARD CYCAD
COMPACT PLANT WITH NO SPINES

TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE
2&3 G PLANTS

This popular dwarf cycad is from Mexico and rarely gets over four feet
tall. Plants do cluster and form low profile clumps. Stems can get
typically to about 12 inches although taller stems are seen in the
wild. Leaves are almost always under 36 inches long. Leaflets are
wide, short and have no spines or armor. This is a very user friendly
plant. It tolerates full sun along the coast and needs filtered light
in the desert. Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F, perhaps a bit
lower.

We're offering here 3 gallon plants. They are nice plants for starting
in the garden. We do have larger plants that are not on sale right
now. But, this size can easily be shipped right in their pots.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 3G PLANTS $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $50

You must mention this Blog only special when purchasing to get this
price.

This species of Date Palm is from India and Pakistan and somewhat
resembles the Canary Island Date Palm. But, the trunk is much thinner,
the crown is not as large and it is more rounded in shape. Leaf color
is blue-green. Overall height can reach forty to fifty feet. This is a
sun species in all areas with a cold tolerance into the teens F.

We're offering nice 5g plants on special as shown.

REGULAR PRICE THIS
SPECIES 5G $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $60

Just mention this Special to get the discount when purchasing. Of
note, we also have a few 15 gallon plants that I'd offer a good price
on.

WEDNESDAY, 17 JANUARY, 2018

THE MOOSEHORN FERNPLATYCERUM SUPERBUM
GROWS EPIPHYTICALLY
MOUNT ON WOOD OR TREE TRUNKPlatycerumare a type of fern that we know as the
"Staghorn Fern". But, the normal type you see,P.
bifurcatum, has deer antler types of leaves. They are narrow and
reach out from the attaching shield. There's another type known as the
"Moosehorn Fern" where the leaves are entire, stretching across the
width of the plant. These leaves can get up to six feet across. They
are not easy to find. The standard Staghorn is not difficult to
locate. Both are an epiphytic type of plant that can be mounted on a
tree trunk or grown on a wooden base. They are not hard to care for but
you don't want to let them go dry. I water them by just spraying with a
hose and occasionally give them some liquid fertilizer mixed into the
water. They can take a bit of sun or strong filtered light. Cold
hardiness is typically into the mid to perhaps low twenties F. We
get these in from time to time and can get one for you at any time -
special order.

Update: 12/21/17 just got in two nice plants this size

Photo by floragreatlakes.info website

DIOON
MEROLAESUPER SLOW GROWING
MEXICAN CYCADLEAVES GRAY-GREEN

IN A LIFETIME, NEVER VERY BIG
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 1 GALLON PLANTS

This may prove to be the perfect cycad that
one can buy when he wants an easy to grow sun species that, in his
lifetime, will never get too big. It's estimated that, in 40
years, you'll not get a trunk more than about 2 feet tall. The old
boxed nursery specimens shown here are "pre-cites" plants that were
brought into the US in the early 1970's. The plant below in La
Habra was planted 30 years ago. The last picture by JO shows a
plant in the wild in Mexico that is estimated to be 1000 years old.
So, you get the point - slow growing!

We're offering 1 gallon at a great price. These are nice plants
with some size for the container. They are 3 to 4 years old.
This species easily takes full sun on the coast and is cold hardy to
about 20 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $65TEN DAY SPECIAL 1
GALLON $45
Just mention this Special for your Discount. We also have
available 5g, 15g and boxes (very old) but these are not on sale right
now. The habitat photo is by J.O. Also shown are very old
nursery specimens.

ENCEPHALARTOS CAFFER
A DWARF GREEN CYCAD
SOMEWHAT FLUFFY LEAVES

NEVER OVER ABOUT 3 FEET TALLTEN DAY SPECIAL
CITRUS POT SIZE

For those of you who like small cycads, this one
should be one of your favorites. Native to the Eastern Cape region of
South Africa, this species has largely a subterranean stem with an above
the soil caudex rarely over six to eight inches in diameter. Leaves are
up to three feet long, often plumose. This is a full sun species with a
cold tolerance down to about 22 degrees F. These are a difficult cycad
to find. They are slow growing. The Citrus po1.5 gallon plants here
are 3 to 4 years old. I have very limited numbers for sale.

REGULAR PRICE 1.5 G
SIZE $185
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1.5 G SIZE $125

Just mention this Blog Only Special to get this
price when you purchase. These would be simple to mail order.

We at the nursery are very proud that we offer a
good selection of these interesting New World fan palms. This
species is native to the Caribbean region and gets to heights of about
30 feet in many decades. Leaf color is green to silver-green and
trunks are typically six inches thick or a bit more. This species
loves full hot sun and is cold tolerant into the mid-twenties F.
Many are growing it with good success. In pots, allCoccothrinaxare
painfully slow. It's taken us five to six years to produce the 5g
plants you see here. We do have other sizes for sale and multiple
other species of this genus. In the ground they are much faster.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $70

Remember: Mention this Special when you
purchase to get this discount.

ENCEPHALARTOS TEGULANEUS
RARE CYCAD FROM KENYA
UPRIGHT LEAVES

TEN DAY SPECIAL
BAND SIZE

This is a large Central African cycad with an
erect trunk up to thirty feet that is native to Mt. Lolokwe in the
center of Kenya. It is a fairly high elevation plant, up to 2000
feet natively. As shown in the photos, leaves are four to six feet
long and go upwards at about a 60 degree angle. Color is a
gray-green, definitely not a lime color. The leaves are basically
flat in cross section. Leaflets are thin, crowded and perhaps
slightly cupper - and are spiny along the margins.

Like most cycads, this species likes good draining
soil. I'd recommend less than full sun with perhaps half day sun
along the coast. Inland areas would require bright filtered light.
At our nursery, this species tolerated 25 degrees F. with no problem.
I suspect the coldest it will take is a few degrees below this.
Although this species is getting near impossible to find, we do have an
assortment of sizes available including a large, near coning boxed
plant. We are presently offering new seedlings on Special. These
are the first seedlings we've offered in many years and are shown in the
first four photos. I am also showing several other sizes of
nursery plants.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS $85TEN DAY
SPECIAL BAND SEEDLINGS $60Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.
These are easy to ship.

DYPSIS ONILAHENSISSINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING PALM

VERY POPULAR, EASY TO GROW

TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This species is a suckering palm from Madagascar
but can also be found as a single trunk specimen. It has either
flat or droopy leaves/leaflets and white to silver crown shafts.
Overall height is about twenty feet and trunk thickness is four to six
inches. It likes coastal part day sun, perhaps more, and is cold
tolerant to the mid-twenties F. The plants shown here appear to be
the droopy leaflet form, although I can't be positive.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $40TEN DAY SPECIAL $32.50
OR THREE FOR $80You must
mention this Blog only special when purchasing.

ALOCASIA DWARF CAL - ODORA
NEVER OVER FOUR FEET TALL

EASY TO GROW, GOOD COMPANION PLANT5G AND 15G - TEN DAY SPECIAL!

Those who have
been following this Blog have seen this great and easy to use companion
plant in previous threads. Customers love this plant because it stays
small and is so easy to put in shady areas of the garden. Yet, it looks
so tropical and lush. It can take coastal full sun but looks its best
in half day sun or strong filtered light. It's cold hardy into the 20's
F. But, it does like water. We're putting two sizes on sale. These
can be mail ordered.

Just mention this Blog Special for this price and
discount when you purchase.

THRINAX MORRISIIAKA LEUCOTHRINAX MORRISII
THE KEY THATCH PALM

ENDANGERED SPECIESTEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE

This single trunk fan palm is native to areas
stretching from the Florida Keys into a variety of Caribbean Islands.
Mature plant height is quite variable, ranging from five feet to over 30
feet. Trunk diameters are usually six to eight inches. Leaves are
green to silver-green with a white color on the underside. Trunks do
get smooth quite quickly. This species likes full sun and is cold hardy
into the mid-twenties F. We can mail order these plants. For more
information, please see recent photos/description in this Blog.

REGULAR PRICE $75TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $55

Remember, mention this Special when you purchase.

CHAMAEDOREA SEIFRIZIITHE CLASSIC BAMBOO PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL BIG 5G

This New World suckering shade palm has pinnate
leaves and never gets much above 8 to 9 feet. This is the reason it's
so popular. It's not my favorite suckering Chamaedorea, but it does fit
inside the home of the average house without hitting the ceiling.
Outdoors, it wants filtered light and is cold hard into the mid, perhaps
lower 20's F. The 5g on sale here are oversize, about head height or
more.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 5G $85TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $60

Just mention this Special at the time of purchase
for your discount. Although a tall box is needed, these can be shipped
anywhere within the U.S. Thanks to RPS for the last photo.

COCCOTHRINAX CRINITA VARIETY BREVICRINAS
A RARE FORM OF THE OLD MAN PALM

NATIVE TO CUBATEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

The palm species shown here is the more rare form
of Coccothrinax crinita. Both the regular C. crinita
and this form are native to Cuba. This form is said to have shorter
hairs on the trunk and to be a little bit more "neat" appearing. For
anyone who has grown one of the Old Man Palms, the one thing you'll
agree on is how slow they are. The seedlings here are three to four
years old. One suffers through "blades of grass" for the first two
years or more. Finally palmate leaves appear as shown here. This is a
dwarf species, unlikely to get over ten feet. It loves sun and heat and
is cold hardy somewhere into the mid-teens F. And, by the way, those
fibers/hairs covering the trunk are its hallmark. The pictures of the
mature plants below are of the regular crinita - no reliable
photos are available for this variety as it is so rare.

Yes, this beautiful large palm
from northern Thailand has been given a lot of common
names. I'm showing you today some boxed size plants of
this species. We also have 15g for sale. But, I
thought I'd make a few points about this plant that you
may not know and make some comparisons to Caryota
urens:

•It has an extremely thick fat
trunk that can get up to three feet wide (see last
photo). This is much thicker than C. urens.
•Trunk height in Southern California is hardly ever over
35 feet, less than most of us expected. C. urens
can get over 60 feet with ease.
• It appears to tolerate full sun better than C.
urens. By this I mean it has less brown tipping on
the leaflets
• It appears to have a shorter life span than expected,
often blossoming in less than 15 years. This is less
than C. urens.
• It has very wide and long leaves, up to fifteen feet
in length and provides good shade underneath.
Caryota urens' leaves are smaller but still quite
large.
• It is not as cold hardy as C. urens and will
burn in the low 20's F. But, most plants will survive
and return from temperatures of 20 degrees f.
• It is quick growing but does not put on vertical
height as fast as Caryota urens.
• If your plant doesn't look good, it's probably from
your lack of giving it adequate water (if there's no
cold burn)
• It is the most popular Fishtail Palm presently. In
the past, before this species introduction, C. urens
was the most popular. I think people really like
the leaves and leaflet shape..

We have a great selection available and can ship smaller
sizes up to 15 gallon plants. Photos shown here
are only of Caryota gigas.

BRAHEA DECUMBENSDWARF, BLUE, SUCKERING SUN PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL 1.5 GALLON SIZE

This easy to grow Mexican fan palm hardly ever
gets over five feet tall. In the sun, it gets super blue, suckers and
doesn't have a large footprint in the garden. Surprisingly, when young,
plants are green in color. But, outdoors in the sun, I guarantee that
they'll turn blue. Leaves are small compared to other Braheas.
It is rare and, unfortunately, very slow growing. I am showing here
our 1.5 gallon plants which are about 4 years old. They are quite old
for their containers. This species will take sun in all areas and does
not like shade. It does well in desert areas. Cold tolerance is about
17 to 18 degrees. We're offering both sizes on a ten day special. And,
for this slow growing species, they are oversized in their pots. After
a little acclimation, put them right into your garden!

REGLAR PRICE 1.5 GALLON $50TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $39

Easy to ship. But, you must mention this Blog Only
Special when purchasing to get these prices.

COCCOTHRINAX ARGENTATA
MEDIUM SIZED FAN PALM

SMALL TRUNK - SILVER BACK T LEAVESTEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This smaller and very cute
fan palm is native to areas of Florida, Mexico and into the Caribbean.
It has a blue green leaf color with more prominent silver on the
underside of the leaf. Mature height is rarely to twenty feet. Leaves
are about three to four feet across and prominently divided into
segments. It likes heat and sun. It might also do well in desert
areas. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. We have available 5g
and some 15g plants. It is ideal for people who want shorter but
attractive sun tolerant palms. But, particularly in pots, it is slow
growing. We're putting bands on sale today but do have 5 and 15 gallon
available.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $40TEN DAY
SPECIAL BANDS $30

Just mention this Blog Special when you purchase for your discount.

DYPSIS LEPTOCHEILOS
THE TEDDY BEAR PALM

EVERYONE LOVES THIS PALM
ONE OF THE BEST MADAGASCAR PALMSTEN DAY SPECIAL 2G SIZE

The Teddy Bear Palm has become super popular
because it grows well in Southern California, has a rusty colored, fuzzy
crown shaft, has a silver, ringed trunk and doesn't get too tall. For
most enthusiasts, it's among the "top ten" Madagascar palms. Mature
height is about 25 feet. Right on the coast it does well with full
sun. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F. Growth rate is medium. One
can grow it in part day sun as well. The average enthusiast, once he
sees a mature plant, just "has to have one". Expect a mature height in
California of about 25 feet or a bit more. Trunk diameter is usually
about eight inches. The crown shaft is the most prominent trait -
fuzzy, rusty red and quite touchable. The latter trait is why it's
called the "Teddy Bear Palm".

REGULAR PRICE 2G SIZE $50TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $40.00

Mention this Special for your discount.

CHAMAEDOREA HOOPERIANABAMBOO PALM THAT IS
TALL AND FULL

GORGEOUS 15G PLANTSTEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE

It's not that
uncommon that I'll talk about various types of Bamboo Palms. Three
decades ago this species (Chamaedorea hooperiana) would have
probably been called a variety of Chamaedorea costaricana.
But, in his book on Chamaedorea,
Don Hodel described this species named after friend and palm enthusiast
Louis Hooper. So, it now enjoys its own status as a species. And, it
deserved species status because it is quite different than Chamaedorea costaricana.
This species is native to high elevation rain forest in the Veracruz
area of Mexico. It grows at up to 5000 feet elevation in habitat.

It reaches an overall height of twelve to
fourteen feet. It is also quite wide at maturity with many canes.
These canes will sometimes lean outwards, making the clump wider.
Trunks are about one inch thick. Compared to Chamaedorea costaricana,
this species is more full and wide. It's hard to "see through" this
species whereas you'd have a better chance of seeing through a costaricana.
Also, the leaves of costaricana
are shorter. Hooperiana leaves
are four feet long or more.

Shown here is a 15 gallon sized plant that
is about ten feet tall. This species likes good draining soil, adequate
water, filtered light and is cold hardy to the low 20's F. We have
various smaller sizes as well - and maybe a few 25 gallons.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $225TEN
DAY SPECIAL 15G $185Mention this Special to get your discount.
BTW, these are not easy to find on the market. The last photo is by
T.S.

TRACHYCARPUS TAKIL
POSSIBLY THE MOST COLD HARDY WINDMILL PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON SIZE

This species of Windmill Palm is always sought out
by palm enthusiasts, especially those in colder areas. This is because
this species is felt to be the most cold hardy of the genus with reports
of it easily tolerating temperatures into the single digits F. This, of
course, varies with the duration or cold and other conditions. We've
been out of this species for about 2 years and now can offer nice 1
gallon plants on special. We have limited supplies, so don't dally. It
tolerates coastal sun quite well and part sun far inland.

REGULAR PRCIE 1 GALLON $45TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $35

Just remember to mention this Special when you purchase. I wish to
thank Tobias Spanner and Martin Gibbons for their photos. They not only
discovered this species but were also the source of seeds for these
plants.

Juvenile takil leaf

Base of one gallon size

photo by TS
and MG

CHAMAEDOREA MICROSPADIX
NEW SEEDLINGS AVAILABLE

TEN DAY SPECIAL SEEDLINGS

This shade loving species is sought after for
several reasons:
It doesn't get too tall, rarely over 8 feet tall
It suckers and forms a nice clump
It has good cold tolerance into the upper teens F.
Leaves are sometimes iridescent and a blue color on their under side

It is a type of Bamboo Palm. Trunks are very thin, sometimes just a
quarter of an inch. Leaves are short, usually 2 to 3 feet.

We are presently offering seedlings on special.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $35TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $27.50
OR, FOUR FOR $95

Just mention this special when purchasing to get this price. These
little guys are easy to ship and do make a great houseplant.

5g size at nursery, not on sale

attractive red fruit of this species

Mature clump in sun

CHAMAEDOREA STOLINIFERA
A SEMI-DWARF, SUCKERING SHADE PALM

PROPAGATED USUALLY ONLY BY DIVISIONS
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 1 GALLON PLANTS

I recently discussed this suckering, semi-dwarf simple leaf understory
palm. Native to Mexico, it suckers, rarely gets over six feet tall, has
short petioles and has small, entire leaves as shown here. The leaf
surface is a bit wavy and sometimes a bit of a mottled green color.
And, the new stems emerging do so in a totally different fashion. It is
called "stolinifera" because it forms new "stolons". These are
vegetative stems that emerge from the base of an older trunk. They then
shoot laterally, sometimes below the soil's surface, to reappear a short
distance from the mother stem. They look like "snakes" going over the
soil surface, sometimes diving into the dirt to root. Often they'll
wildly shoot out of the pot, then turn upwards to form a new vertical
stem. This ability to shoot out new stolons often creates a very wide
mature clump.

Stems are a quarter inch thick. This is a filtered light species with a
cold hardiness into the low 20's F. This species is native to
mountainous areas in Mexico at about 2500 feet. It's a great garden
species. People are easily growing it in San Francisco and cooler
areas. We usually propagate vegetatively as hardly ever are seeds
available. We do have several mother plants for this purpose (shown
below). We have very limited numbers of one gallon plants I'm putting
on special. This size is shown in the first two rows of pictures
below. I highly recommend this species.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $75TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON $57.50

Remember: mention this Special for your discount
at the time of purchase.

RARE, CLIMBING PHILODENDRON SPECIES
VERY UNUSUAL LEAF - GOOD GROWER

TEN DAY SPECIAL - ONLY ONE SIZE AVAILABLE

Shown in the first 3 pictures is a rare and
un-described species of Philodendron. Many plants of this
genus are climbers. This means that they will literally climb up a
fence, pole or trunk of another tree. Such is the case with the species
shown here. Please note its interesting leaf shape. We got stock of
this species from a large botanical garden in LA where we have an
exchange program. It comes from a plant in the wild. For sure, you'll
not find this species at any local nursery. This plant has seen a
freeze at our nursery and is a good grower. The last two pictures show
epiphytic Philodendron on trunks of larger trees with one close-up photo
of the attaching roots. Of note, we have a lot of Philodendron that
you'll find nowhere else and many are climbers. This is super fun in
the garden to watch them grow up a palm trunk.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON AS SHOWN $55TEN DAY SPECIAL $42.50

Just mention this Special for your discount at the
time of purchase.

CHAMAEDOREA PLUMOSATHE BABY QUEEN PALM

SINGLE THIN TRUNK
LOOK BEST IN GROUPSTEN DAY SPECIAL
GOOD SIZED 1 GALLON SIZE

For anyone who's looked for this species lately,
you realize it's in very short supply and essentially unavailable in
larger sizes. This is because of a several year shortage of seeds. We
are pleased to presently put nice one gallon plants on special. All are
multiples with at least 3 plants per pot. This species gets up to about
14 feet height with a green, ringed trunk about 1.5 inches in diameter.
The leaves are plumose or fluffy. They are quick growing and perfect
for narrow planter areas. It will take full coastal sun. Cold
hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. It can also be used as a
houseplant in a bright area. This one gallon size is a piece of cake to
ship and we can easily fit four plants into one box. We ship plants in
their pots with soil.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $45TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $35

Mention this Blog Special for your discount at the
time of purchase. NOTE: The first four photos are of the 1 gallon
size. Following are 15g which are not available now and one shot from a
local garden.

TUESDAY, 9 JANUARY, 2018

RAVANALA MADAGASCARENSISTHE TRAVELER PALMNEW ARRIVAL SQUAT 15G IF YOU DON'T FREEZE, LUSH TROPICAL PLANT IN ONE
PLANETEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE

This is a tropical tree from Madagascar that gets
over thirty feet tall. But, it can be grown in Southern California if
you don't freeze. It gets a trunk about ten inches to a foot wide,
brown in color. The leaves are flat and green, reminiscent of a banana
leaf. This species does sucker. In my opinion, specimens look best if
suckers are removed. This provides better viewing of the flat plane of
leaves that go from side to side. This characteristic is called "distichous",
all in one plane.

Hard wind can tear the leaves. So, a protected
location is probably best. Cold tolerance is down to a freeze.
Temperatures of thirty degrees or below will "melt" this plant
overnight. It is a good and fast growing species and tolerates full or
part sun. Folklore says to plants the leaves going east to west, i.e.
with maximal southern exposure.

We have available a new batch of nice squat 15g
plants. Some are nine feet tall in their pot as shown below.
If you wanted one of these, act quickly because I rarely have them
available.

REGULAR PRICE SQUAT 15G $275TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $220
But, you must mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase to
get your discount. BTW, these plants are too big for mail order.

BISMARCKIA NOBILISSTUNNING BLUE MALAGASY FAN PALM
POPULAR, STATELY AND BEAUTIFUL!
NEW ARRIVAL OF GREAT 20 GALLON PLANTSTEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 20G PLANTS

For several decades we've been growing
this stunning blue fan palm from Madagascar. We've concentrated
mostly on the blue form although there is also a green form of
Bismarckia which we also have for sale.
However, most enthusiasts prefer the blue form. Mature
specimens in their native habitat reach heights of over forty
feet. It' not certain how tall they'll get in domestic gardens
here, but I anticipate about the same. Trunk diameter can reach
18 inches or a bit more. Leaf width can be up to eight feet.
This is a very attractive palm and should be given room in the
garden to show it off. It prefers full, hot sun. Many people
in desert locations have found they can grow it. Cold tolerance
is about 22 degrees, although plants seeing colder have come
back from injury.

This plant is a good growing species. It is sensitive to root
damage, so bare rooting shipped plants is not advised. Most
will die. This also applies to buying Bismarckia by
mail order. Bare root plants usually die. Fortunately, we ship
plants in their pots with soil. Bismarckia prefers
sandy, good draining soil. The more intense your sun, the more
blue it gets. It is not a good plant for shade. For more
information on this species, check out this link:

I'm showing you here some nice 20 gallon plants that we just got
in. They have nice color and size. We also have some 5g and
maybe some one gallons for sale.

REGULAR PRICE 20G THIS SPECIES $350TEN DAY SPECIAL 20G AS SHOWN
$250

Remember, mention this Special for your
discount when purchasing.

DYPSIS DECIPIENS
THE MANAMBE PALM
NATIVE TO MADAGASCAR
VARIABLE SPECIES IN APPEARANCETEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

ALSO: GETTING VERY DIFFICULT TO
FINDAs with many species of palms from Madagascar, it
seems that they represent more of a "complex" than an exact species with
a consistent appearance. By this I mean, if you pick a species like,
let's say, Dypsis baronii, you'd think they'd all look alike.
But, this is not true. Some sucker, others don't. Some have silver
crown shafts, others are green or yellow. Some have droopy leaves,
others are upright. Thus, we have a "complex" where we'd call it a
Dypsis baronii, but recognize there are lots of variations within
that species.

Such is the case with Dypsis decipiens. Some sucker, some
don't. Some have green crown shafts, others have silver. Some have
plumose leaves, others are flat. And, some even have a blue color to
the leaves. My overall impression is that most will sucker. But, in
the wild with less nutrition and water, you tend to see more single
trunk plants. In domestic gardens they are more likely to have more
than one trunk.

I would say all forms of D.decipiens are similar in culture and
growth. They are fairly cold hardy into the low 20's F and maybe into
the upper teens F. Because of this, many people in colder areas are
trying them. When repotting or planting, be super careful with the
roots. Trauma can kill them. They like to be reared in less than full
sun when young but then exposed to full sun when larger, especially
along the coast. They do not like the combination of cold and wet; rot
may develop. For all, growth rate is very slow. It takes 5 to 6 years
for me to grow a good sized 5g plant. We are putting this size on sale
for ten days.

One final comment on availability: As we can no longer import
seeds from Madagascar, this species and many others are getting very
difficult to find!

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $69.50The first six photos show the 5g we're putting on
Special. I've also shown some specimens in gardens. One is from
habitat. Remember: Mention this Special for this discounted Blog
Only Price when you purchase to get the discount.

DWARF CRINUM LILY
PINK FLOWERS IN SPRINGTEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

We recently got in a batch of nice 5g size of
a Crinum Lily which has nice pink blossoms in spring and summer.
This is a dwarf species with foliage height not over about two feet. These can take some sun and have been reliable growers for us in the
past. When they blossom, you'll love them. The photo of the
blossoms was taken from the Net as I never got around to getting
pictures of ours last year.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $55TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $40

Remember: Mention this Blog Special when
you purchase.

DYPSIS LANCEOLATA
NATIVE TO COMORO ISLANDS
USUALLY A SUCKERING PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL
BAND SIZE

This suckering palm species from the Comoro Islands near Madagascar is
ideal for filtered light. It produces stems about three inches in
diameter and typically gets to a height of about fifteen feet in many
years. It usually does sucker but, in my experience, has a limited
number of trunks. Sometimes plants remain single trunk. The crown
shaft areas of large plants often shown an assortment of colors
including silver, brown and green. Leaflets are wide and leaves are a
bit keeled. It has prominent rings on the trunk.

Shown here our band size on special as well as a 20g plant. Figure cold
tolerance is into the mid to upper 20's F. These plants would be simple
to mail order.

This climbing vine is native to Australia and will trellis up a fence or
pole or climb up the trunk of a tree. This variety is hard to find and
has large, white, trumpet shaped flowers that have a deep red throat.
There are other color varieties including pure white which we also can
offer. It grows in the shade or sun but flowers better with sun. It is
very cold hardy with reports of it surviving temperatures into the teens
F. These 5g plants are huge for there pot and ready to be planted or
moved into 15g pots. Blossoms start in late spring and continue
for at least three months.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $50

Just mention this Blog Special to get this discount at the time of
purchase.

This rare pinnate, crown shafted and thin trunked
palm tree is from the Solomon Islands. Most growers comment that this
species is very similar appearing to Ptychosperma elegans . It
gets a height of up to thirty feet with a four inch thick trunk. Leaves
are about five feet long. Leaf color is green. The crown shaft is
silver-green. Compared to Ptychosperma elegans, this species
is:

faster growingtallerhas wider leafletshas larger leaves

It is a part day sun species and has a cold
tolerance into the mid to upper twenties F. Perhaps one could grow it
in full sun right on the coast. It is rarely available. I'm offering
nice 5 gallon sized plants on special for ten days.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $85TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $60

You must mention this Blog Only Special when
ordering to get this discount. These plants are a piece of cake to mail
order. Limited availability.

ARENGA OBTUSIFOLIA
LARGE CLUSTERING TROPICAL PALMTEN DAY
SPECIAL 5G SIZE

You won't find this species available at many
places in the country. It's native to southern Thailand and surrounding
areas including Indonesia. It's a large palm. In habitat it gets to a
height of thirty to fifty feet with one foot thick trunks. It can have
huge leaves over fifteen feet long. In other words, one leaf is taller
than a whole clump of Arenga engleri. Like all Arenga,
the back sides of the leaves are silver. I'd recommend part day sun or
filtered light. Cold tolerance is uncertain, perhaps into the
mid-twenties F.

REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS
SPECIES $85TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $65

At time of purchase, you must mention this Blog Special to get this
price. Limited availability. Photo of mature tree by RK.

ARENGA PINNATATHE SUGAR PALM
NICE 5 GALLON SIZE AVAILABLE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZEAs many of you know, Arengas are usually
suckering palms. But, there are several single trunk species.
Arenga pinnata is one of these. It is felt to be native to
Indonesia and is a large palm. It is a pinnate palm with a fibrous
trunk made from woven fibers. Overall height is forty to fifty feet and
the trunk gets to a diameter of two feet. The leaves are held upright
and can be over twenty feet long. The leaflets, like all Arenga,
has jagged terminal ends.

This is a monocarpic species and will die when the plant flowers. Other
suckering Arenga has new trunks to replace dying flowering
trunks. But, since this species has only one trunk, like a Caryota
it will be gone a few years after the flowers appear. The Sugar
Palm is a full sun species with cold tolerance into the mid-twenties F.
Shown here is a 5g nursery plant and photos of mature specimens. We may
have other sizes available. Note the woven material on the trunk.
It is very interesting to see in person.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $85TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $60

Remember, mention this Special for your discount
when you purchase.

AUSTRALIAN TREE FERNCYATHEA COOPERI

FAST GROWING, CAN GET TALLERTEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

The
Australian Tree Fern in native to several areas on the eastern side of
Australia. It is a faster growing tree fern that can get to a height of
over forty feet. The two photos from my garden in San Diego show
potential height. I have several with twenty-five feet of trunk. I'm
about 8 miles from the ocean and they take my sun fairly well. Trunks
can get up to twelve inches thick although most are more thin. This
species is a bigger alternative to the Tasmanian Tree Fern and has a
thicker trunk and longer leaves. This species tolerates coastal sun or
part day sun. It is cold hardy into the upper twenties or lower.
The 5g we have on sale are nicely sized and ready to be moved into a 15g
pot.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $65TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $50

Mention this special when you purchase. Mail
order possible on this size.

NEOROGELIA RED HYBRID
SIX INCH POT
LEAVES RED AND GREEN
GREAT COLOR FOR THE GARDENTEN DAY SPECIAL

Shown below are examples of a new batch of colorful Bromeliads that we
just got in. We have about a dozen of them. This is a
Neorogelia species and has been hybridized for color. This genus
is easy to grow in filtered light and sucker ever winter. So, you
start with one plant and in a few years have a plant with four to six
heads of leaves.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 6 INCH PLANTS $27.50TEN DAY SPECIAL $22

Of note, we are continually getting in new companion plants with an
emphasis on Bromeliads. See the type below which can tolerated
full sun along the coast.

NEOROGELIA, RED CLUSTERINGTHE "FIREBALL" BROMELIADWILL TAKE FULL COASTAL SUN!OLDER CLUSTERSTEN DAY SPECIAL THESE
PLANTS

Shown here is one of our most popular Bromeliads that we refer to as the
"Fireball". They are sturdy, easy to grow plants that never get
over about 14 inches tall and are prolific in their growth and color.
In a matter of three or four years you have a nice colony cluster of red
plants. In the shade they turn green but with at least three to
four hours of coastal sun you get this nice show of color. But
they don't want to be crowded or "jammed" into an area - this bruises
the leaves. So, give them a bit of room. In far inland areas
just give them a few hours of morning sun. These clusters are in
about their third year of suckering so are nice, full specimens.
The fourth photo below shows their suckering habit. The last photo
shows usage of bromeliads in the garden.

REGULAR PRICE THESE CLUSTERS $55TEN DAY SPECIAL AS SHOWN $45

Remember: Mention this Special for this price when you purchase.

CHAMBEYRONIA HOOKERITHE BLONDE FLAME THROWER PALM

GORGEOUS PALM FROM NEW CALEDONIABLONDE CROWN SHAFTTEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

The palm shown in the first two rows is a 5 gallon
size of Chambeyronia hookeri with its blonde colored crown
shaft. This species is hard to find. It is different in appearance
from the dark green crown shafted form, Chambeyronia macrocarpa.
Here's some facts about this species:

• Growth habit and care about the same as
macrocarpa
• Along the coast will tolerate full sun if you're are not too far
inland
• Crown shaft is yellow-tan colored and quite prominent
• Cold tolerance is about 23 degrees
• Growth rate on this species like macrocarpa is slow to
medium but improves once planted in the ground.
• Trunk diameter is about 8 inches typically and overall height of
mature plants is about 25 feet
• Leaflets are shiny green, thick and sturdy, and quite wide as shown
• Like macrocarpa, about 95% of the time throws newly emerging
red leaf as shown here. Rarely a plant will not throw new red leaves
and there's no way of predicting this. I've shown a photo to
illustrate a new red leaf.
• Also makes a great interior palm inside the home

We have very limited numbers available of this species and only several
in this 5 gallon size. But, we also have some band sized plants and
occasionally larger plants as shown.

REGULAR PRICE
5G $85TEN
DAY SPECIAL 5G $70

Remember to mention this Special when purchasing so you get this
discounted price. Mail order this size quite easy.

BRAHEA ACULEATA
MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE
THIN TRUNK

RETAINED OLD LEAF BASESTEN DAY SPECIAL
5G SIZE

This single stem fan palm is native to northern and western Mexico. It
is not a tall palm. Heights vary from 12 to 25 feet with an 8 to 10
inch thick trunk. Leaf color is green to blue green. Old leaf bases
will persist for some time on the trunk but eventually fall off making a
smoother trunk. The crown is not overly large. Growth rate is medium.
It is a full sun species with cold tolerance down to the lower 20's F.
The special today is for the 5g size. I've previously but bands on sale
as well.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $65

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special as this price is not posted
anywhere else.

PHOENIX THEOPHRASTIIPERHAPS THE MOST COLD
HARDYPHOENIX

TEN DAY SPECIAL
15G SIZE

I have previously discussed this extremely cold hardy species ofPhoenix.
This species is suckering (typically) but can be single trunk. It is
from the island of Crete. It is a bristly palm with lots of spines. It
has a pronounced yellow color in its petioles. But, for most important
to people in cold areas, it is possibly the most cold hardy of all thePhoenix
(Date Palm), even better than the Canary Palm. It is somewhat smaller
thanPhoenix dactylifera and
the leaves are green in color. Shown here are views of 15g plants. We
presently have limited numbers of 5g and 7g for sale. It likes sun and
cold tolerance should be about 15 degrees F. You can see that it is a
medium sized palm species. These plants are easy to ship by mail order.

REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $185TEN DAY SPECIAL
THIS SIZE $150

Just mention this Special at our Blog to get your discount at the time
of purchase. The mature tree below is c/o RPS.

BLACK MONDO GRASS
ALSO SILVER AND GREEN
GREAT GROUND COVER

TYPES OFOPHIOPOGONTEN DAY SPECIAL 1G PLANTS

I have customers in
all the time who are looking for an attractive yet small type of ground
cover other than Ice Plant. We carry several types of plants that would
fit this bill. But, one of the "Cadillacs" of ground covers is the
Mondo Grass. I am featuring here the Black Mondo Grass although we also
have silver and the more commonly seen green form. The Black Mondo
Grass only gets about twelve inches tall and does not run. It forms a
well defined and small clump. It's perfect along a walkway. It wants
to get some sun and is fairly cold hardy. Full sun along the coast is
ideal. A mature clump will only get about 18 inches wide. Note that
these put out small purple flowers. The specials are for the 1 gallon
sizes. On the garden photos below you'll note all are the green
variety. This is because this is the most common type available. Black
is quite hard to find. Silver is near impossible to find. The last
photo shows a large form of the green variety.

NEROGELIA - RED SPECKLED
RED AND GREEN COLORED BROMELIAD

GREAT PART DAY SUN COMPANION PLANTTEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE

These attractive Bromeliads offer a nice speckled
combination of red and green and are easy to grow. Our nursery is close
to the Ocean and we grow them in full sun. If you are inland, try part
day sun. They pup freely and are low maintenance. They'll take
temperatures into the upper 20's F. if you give them the right care.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE $40TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $32.50

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Discount for this reduced price when
you purchase.

WEDNESDAY, 3 JANUARY, 2018

CHAMAEDOREA RADICALIS
TALL TRUNKING FORM
LOOK BEST IN SMALL COLONIESTEN DAY
SPECIAL LARGE BANDS

There are two forms ofChamaedorea radicalis:
The smaller dwarf form and the trunking form. Both are native
to Mexico. The trunking form is what I'm putting on special
presently. It has a thin trunk with rings, gets way overhead
and tolerates coastal sun. The regular form rarely gets
over four feet tall. The fifth photo below shows what
these bands will look like in a 5g pot in about two years.
These are fast growing and have a cold hardiness perhaps into
the upper teens F. They look best with several growing size by
side. The bands on sale have two or three plants per pot. This
is a good buy.

REGULAR
PRICE THESE BANDS $40TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE BANDS $30

Three plants in one pot

This plant is the 5 gallon size

Bands

CLINOSTIGMA SAVORYANUMTHE PACIFIC BEAUTY
PALMNEWLY POTTED ONE GALLON PLANTS AVAILABLE
SECOND GENERATION FROM LOCAL TREE!TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE PLANTS

This is a gorgeous and exotic crown shafted
palm that many in our area can grow. We have been out of them for
over a year and just received seedlings from a locally and domestically
grown specimen that flowered and set viable seeds. Everyone loves
this palm. It is single trunk, crown-shafted species comes from
Bonin Island near Japan. It has been proven possible to grow this
species in warmer areas of Southern California. It is very exotic
appearing with a prominent green crown shaft. Interestingly, there
are several species of Clinostigma that can be grown here.
But the savoryana is the best and easiest for us. It can
potentially get to a height of 30 feet or more and prefers a sunny
location. Cold tolerance is down to bout a freeze.

Clinostigma is a very exotic pinnate palm
and would be one of the more exotic and unusual of palm types possible
in this area. Shown here are one gallon pots that were recently
potted up. Yes, they are small but (to grower's delight) the seeds
came from a seeding tree in the Orange County area. Also shown are
a variety of sizes of domestic plants in Southern California.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $45TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 1G PLANTS $35

Remember: Mention this special for this price!

VARIEGATED RHAPIS EXCELSA
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A PLANT IN STOCK
EXOTIC - TEND TO BE SMALL
DON'T LIKE TOO MUCH NITROGEN
LIMITED SUPPLIES AVAILABLE

This is another post to remind readers that we
still offer a limited supply of the highly coveted variegated Rhapis
excelsa. Known as the "Gems of the Orient", these striking plants
typically have yellow or white variegation on green leaves. Most plants
at mature size are three to six feet. There are many exotic varieties -
most popular in Japan where affluent collectors compete to obtain the
most striking plants. Propagation is by divisions only. As these
plants come only from divisions, we tend to have only large plants for
sale. Earlier this month I showed a shippable plant we had. Here is
another one. It's in a 3 gallon pot. The variegation consists of very
narrow bands of yellow on green. They are sort of hard to see here. On
any given leaflets there are lots of these narrow, subtle stripes.
Contact us if you are interested in getting one. BTW, these are never
inexpensive plants. And, they are all different. The variegation seems
to be different from leaf to leaf on all varieties.

ENCEPHALARTOS KISAMBO
MEDIUM SIZED CENTRAL AFRICAN GREEN CYCAD
UPRIGHT LEAVES, LONG LEAFLETS
8 INCH CAUDEX IN A SMALL POT/ EASY TO SHIPTEN DAY SPECIAL THIS PLANT

This attractive green and rare cycad
species is from Central Africa at the border of Kenya and northern
Tanzania. It is known for the upright nature of the long leaves. Its
leaflets are long and medium sized width. Trunks in many decades can
get over ten feet tall and cones are bright yellow. This plant on
special for many years has only been in this 2 gallon (8 inch) pot and
the caudex is actually wider than the pot. This is good for mail order
people because shipping should be fairly affordable. But, it'd take a
very tall box. Caudex is 8 inches and it's holding a full crop of
leaves. Whomever gets this plant, realize that, by spring, you should
plant it in the ground or put it into a 15 gallon container.

REGULAR PRICE THIS PLANT $850TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS PLANT $600

Just mention this Blog Special if you wish to buy this plant. I can
ship anywhere within the U.S., weather permitting. If weather is a
concern, it can be held for free awaiting better weather. The last row
of photos shows two very old nursery plants and one domestic garden
specimen.

ENCEPHALARTOS WHITELOCKII
ANOTHER CENTRAL AFRICAN GREEN CYCAD
VERY LONG UPRIGHT LEAVES, NARROW LEAFLETS
9 INCH CAUDEX IN A 5 GALLON POT - CAN BE SHIPPEDTEN DAY SPECIAL THIS PLANT

Like E. kisambo above, this
Central African cycad has upright leaves that are green. But, the
leaves are even longer - sometimes up to twelve feet long. As new
leaves, they go straight up. If not cut and with additional throws of
leaves, older leaves will relax and make room for new ones. It is
native to southwestern Uganda. Trunks can get over ten feet tall and
leaflets are narrow and spiny when younger. It is a fast growing
species and does great in sun or part sun along the coast. Far inland
I'd recommend a few hours of sun. This plant has a nine inch caudex and
is in a 5 gallon pot. I'm putting it on a Ten Day special. It can be
shipped but would need a very tall box.

REGULAR PRICE THIS PLANT $1350TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS PLANT $875

Just mention this Blog Special if you wish to buy this plant. I only
have this one like this plant. I can ship anywhere within the U.S.,
weather permitting. If weather is a concern, it can be held for free
awaiting better weather. The last row of photos shows two garden
specimens and a very old nursery plant.

This rare and nearly extinct species from Bolivia in South
America is a single trunk pinnate palm that gets to about forty
feet height with a twelve to eighteen inches in trunk diameter.
In its natural habitat high in the Andes Mountains, it sees a
fair amount of cold weather. In domestic gardens, reports of
this species tolerating temperatures into the teens have
surfaced. Seeds are huge in size, expensive and germination is
sporadic. In most areas, this species tolerates full sun. In
the desert, part sun is probably bettr. Give it plenty of room
to grow - it is a large tree. Many think it resembles the
Coconut Palm, thus the common name. The 25g on special are very
nicely sized. We also carry an assortment of other sizes of
this species.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON $450TEN DAY
SPECIAL 25 GALLON $350
Remember: Mention this Special for your discount. My thanks to
Gaston Torres, PACSOA and Andrew Henderson for usage of their
photos below.

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANSGREEN, RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICACRITICALLY ENDANGERED IN THE WILDTEN DAY SPECIAL VERY LARGE BAND PLANTS

This species of green South African cycad is a
medium sized mature plant with trunks up to about five feet. They are
un-branched and have green leaves that are about five feet long. The
leaves are straight and leaflets point toward the end of the leaf. In
the wild stands in the Natal area of RSA, there are only about a hundred
plants remaining. Shown here in the first row of photos are 4 to 5 year
old band plants - very large for their container. The second row of
photos show a huge boxed specimen at our nursery. The last row shows
domestic plants and a close up of the leaflets.

We're putting older band seedlings on sale. They'd
be easy to mail order. In our area, this is a full sun plant with a
cold hardiness into the low 20's F.

REGULAR PRICE THESE BANDS $65TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE BANDS $50

Remember, mention this Special when you order. We,
of course, have other sizes of this species for sale.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMALARGEST OF THE KING PALMS
BAND SIZE WITH TWO OR THREE PLANTS/POTTEN DAY
SPECIAL BAND SIZE

By popular demand I have put this great palm on
special. This is the largest of the King Palm family. It got its name
"maxima" by the flower size, but most have found it to be an aggressive
grower, have a larger trunk and get taller than the other species of
King Palms. It does have silver on the underside of the leaves. The
crown shaft is sort of a yellow, sometimes blue color. It is a quick
growing pinnate palm native to Australia. It's rare to see them
available and also hard to find good photos of this species. I wish to
than L.N. below for his picture of a mature tree. The plants I'm
putting on special are band size. Most are multiples. In the last row
of photos, I'm showing two 15 gallon plants, but they are not on special
right now.

REGULAR PRICE BAND $40TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE
$30

Remember: Mention this Special for your
discount.

BURRETIOKENTIA KOGHIENSISA GREAT PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIATEN DAY SPECIAL ALSO ON OUR 5G PLANTS

This past Saturday I posted a special on our 15
gallon size of this species. I wanted to add a special on the 5 gallon
size. For a description of the species, please see post from this past
Saturday below.

I'd like to remind plant enthusiasts to recycle their plastic containers.
We will take them and give you a credit toward any purchase at the
nursery. Or, if you just don't know what to do with them and are
conservative minded, drop them off at our nursery location. We'll put
them to good use. We've been doing this for decades and think it's the
right thing to do for the environment. We
are especially looking for larger pots, 15g and bigger. We
also really appreciate 7g and citrus pots. However, tiny pots like 4 or
6 inch are not containers that we really utilize.

So, don't clutter the environment by giving them to the garbage man or
your local landfill. Bring them to our nursery. We thank you in
advance!

15 gallon pot

Array of pots
starting with the band size on the
left and ending on the right with a 24 inch box

Photographs of Some of Our Cold Hardy Palms Below
Shipping By the Pallet - Best Way to Save on Larger Orders of Big Plants

There are a lot more cold hardy
palms available than shown here

HOW IT WORKS &
BENEFITS OF SHIPPING BY THE PALLET OR DELIVERY:

* Save money shipping by the pallet OR larger order delivery by truck
* Up
to 50% less shipping costs by the pallet or truckcompared
to shipping plants individually
* Easier and cheaper tosend
much biggerplants
up to 24 inch box size and 8.5 feet tall
* Candouble
stack smaller plantson
top of larger ones in pallet tomaximize
number of plants
* Get plants that are way too big for Fed Express or UPS
* Typicallysame
arrival times (or quicker) as ground services with UPS or Federal
Express
* Shipped by independent trucking companies
* Plants shipped safely, usually in framed out pallets as shown
below or safely store in trucks
*
Get adiscountup
to 15% off on the regular priceof
the plants themselves when
you get a large load

SHIPPING PLANTS BY THE PALLET

Shown here is how we typically "palletize" plants for customers. You
can see that plants are secure and travel safely. Also note that some
plants are over eight feet tall. These are "non-stackable pallets".

COLD HARDY PALMS AT THE NURSERY

SHORT PICTORIAL TOUR OF HARDY & TOUGH NURSERY PLANTS
SOME TAKE DOWN TO 15 DEGREES F!
(Sample Plants Shown Below - Click below for full presentation)

This pinnate palm rarely gets over six feet tall, is native to coastal
Brazil and has fluffy leaves (plumose). It's a sun species with a cold
hardiness into the upper teens F.

ARENGA ENGLERI
THE DWARF SUGAR PALM
SUCKERING, NOT TOO TALL

This suckering Asian species doesn't get over about ten feet tall and
has silver color to the back of the leaflets. The leaflets have chopped
ends. It'll take coastal sun and part day sun inland. Cold tolerance
about 18 degrees F.

This variety of the South American Pindo Palm is super color because of
its unusual blue color. It gets to a height of about fifteen feet in
three decades and is single trunk. It loves full sun and is cold hardy
to 15 degrees F.

photo by Paul Craft

BRAHEA CLARA
BLUE SINGLE TRUNK MEXICAN PALM
SUPER COLD HARDY

This palm is quite similar to the more commonBrahea
armata. It loves sun,
takes cold to 15 degrees and is blue in color. It gets to a height of
no more than 20 feet. Compared to the common Mexican Blue Fan Palm, it
has longer petioles and is faster growing. Another curious difference
we've discovered is the stem armor. Rather than simple, uniform curved
spines, the armor is more like a bad set of shark's teeth as shown here.

This suckering species of fan palm develops a blue color with age and
sun. Shown is a 5g. We never can keep them in stock to get them to
15g. They love hot sun, get to a height of no more than six feet and
sucker. this is an ideal palm where views are a concern. They are very
slow growing.

BUTIA X SYAGRUS
THE MULE PALM
HYBRID THAT LOOKS LIKE NEITHER PARENT

This surprisingly very cold hardy palm is being grown in areas that
routinely see bad weather. When Queen Palms die in Tucson, AZ, this one
survives. It gets to 25 feet and loves hot sun. Some say that, when
mature, they look a little bit like a Coconut. It's also a very good
growing hybrid with lots of vigor. It likes sun and is cold hardy to
about 16 or 17 degrees.

COPERNICIA ALBA
TALL THIN TRUNK
SINGLE STEM FAN PALM

Coperniciais a rare
genus of fan palms mostly native to Caribbean Islands such as Cuba.
This species has a thin trunk and gets over 40 feet tall. For an exotic
genus, it's surprisingly cold hardy perhaps into the upper teens F. It
loves sun and heat.

JUBAEA CHILENSIS
CHILEAN WINE PALM
FATTEST TRUNK OF ANY PALM

This thick trunked pinnate palm is slow growing but manages to get a
trunk fatter than any other palm. Native to Chile, it can reach a
height of 40 feet and trunk diameter of 4 feet. It loves hot sun and is
cold hardy to 16 degrees. The 15g plant shown here is 10 years old.
This is why this species is more costly than other palms. The trunk is
also smooth as shown here with no attached leaf bases.

LIVISTONA CHINENSIS
THE CHINESE FAN PALM
SINGLE TRUNK, MEDIUM SIZE

This Asian species never really gets to a height much above 25 feet.
It's so slow growing that anything over ten feet seems to take an
eternity. It has a twelve inch thick trunk and flat green leaves. In
most areas it takes full sun but also tolerates filtered light. Cold
hardiness is about 18 degrees F.

This Australian fan palm can get over 40 feet tall, has a thin trunk and
droopy leaflets. Because of the latter fact it's known as the Ribbon
Palm. Leaflets hang toward the ground. It likes full sun and is cold
hardy into the upper teens F. It's quite handsome.

PHOENIX RECLINATA
THE SENEGAL DATE PALM
CLUMPING SPECIES MEDIUM SIZE

This is a type of Date Palm that clusters. It gets its name from the
fact that trunks recline (lean) with age and height. It has a variable
height. But, you can count on at least 15 feet. Some clumps get
taller. It loves sun and is cold hardy into the upper teens F.

PHOENIX THEOPHRASTITHE CRETAN DATE PALM
BUSHY AND NOT TOO TALL

This Date Palm is native to the island of Crete, southern Greece and
some nearby islands. It is a suckering palm and not quite as tall as
thePhoenix dactylifera. Its
dates are not edible. Leaf color is typically lime green. Height can
get up to thirty feet. Leaves are quite plumose. Cold tolerance is
about 17 degrees or lower and it loves full and hot sun.

SABAL CAUSIARUM
TALL FAN PALM
THICK CONCRETE LIKE TRUNKS

This Caribbean fan palm can get rather tall, up to fifty feet. Its
remarkable characteristic are the thick, concrete colored and appearing
trunks. They are really impressive and get up to two feet thick. Leaf
color is blue green. This palm loves sun and is cold hardy into the mid
to upper teens F.

SABAL MINOR
THE SMALLESTSABAL
DWARF PALM - SIX FEET TALL

This fan palm is native to the southeastern part of the U.S. It rarely
gets over six feet tall. It puts out blossoms that are taller than the
leaves, producing many small black seeds. Leaves are sort of large
compared to its dwarf height. It can take sun or shade and is cold
hardy to 15 degrees.

This Asian species of Windmill Palm is quite difficult to find. That's
because it's very slow growing. The 15g plant shown here is about 8
years old. They typically don't get tall. In a few decades, a ten foot
palm could be expected. They love full sun and are cold hardy to 15
degrees F. Leaves are quite small and flat as shown here.

We don't know as of yet the cold hardiness of this very handsome hybrid
palm developed in Thailand. It's quite a new thing. It is prettier
than both parents. Anticipated height is 30 feet, so it's shorter than
a standard Queen Palm. It likes full sun and appears to be cold hardy
down to about 20 degrees F.

This South American, single trunk fan palm is unlike some of its
suckering kin below. This plant gets to a height of about 20 feet and
has a random pattern of long spines protruding from the trunk. Leaves
are green, medium sized. It likes sun and is cold hardy well into the
upper teens F. The trunk is indeed different - liked by some, hated by
others.

TRITHRINAX CAMPESTRIS
SUCKERING BLUE FAN PALM
MEDIUM HEIGHT

This South American species is nothing likeT.
acanthicomaabove. It
suckers, has a prominent blue color and has sharp points on the end of
its leaf segments. But, it is attractive and cold hardy to about 17
degrees F. Expect a mature height of ten to twenty feet.

REMEMBER OUR SPECIAL:
FILL A PALLET FOR SHIPPING (NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED
IN THE U.S.) OR BUY A LARGE DELIVERY LOAD -
AND SAVE 15% OFF REGULAR PLANT PRICES!

If you like different and colorful companion plants for the floor of the
garden, check out these plants. Remember, a garden is not complete
until you put in the companion plants and add some color. Our selection
changes frequently and, on some, are seasonal. Examples of such plants
are given here with a link below to a new Website Article recently
published on "Tropical Plants".

DESCRIPTION , PHOTOS, AVAILABILITY and REGULAR PRICES

Recently, on a drizzling day, sort of gray and gloomy, the following
photos were taken by Alma, one of the staff. These pictures show
the unique combination of palms, cycads and succulents that we're
offering. You can see how nicely they all blend together. We're
showing these photos so you get a feel for our Nursery.

GREAT
PALM TREES FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Below are pictures of about thirty
five palm species that all do well in Southern California. In
the group of palms below, I left off the most common species
that, it seems, everyone knows about. So, there are no Queen
Palms and Mexican Fan Palms below. But, this group includes
species that may be a bit unusual and more interesting. This is not a complete list. For instance, within any
given genus, there may be dozens other species that do well here. If I
showed every species that you can grow, it would be too overwhelming.
So, I've kept it simple and show representative pictures. I think, for
a starting point, this will suffice.

I have chosen to show mature plants in
gardens. I tried to use mostly pictures from gardens in
Southern California to show examples. Some are from elsewhere. This
provides a quick view of species that you may want to try. Some
are for sun, others for shade. Some are more difficult to grow than
others. I'm not commenting on each species presently. But,
throughout my Blog, there are comments on almost all of these. If you
don't live here in Southern California, realize that many of these
species may live in your area as well.

I hope you enjoy this. We, of course,
have most or all of these palms for sale at the nursery in an
assortment of sizes. And, for your enthusiasts, we probably have
several hundred other cool species for you to try.

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Bismarckia nobiis

Brahea armata

Caryota gigas

Chambeyronia macrocarpa

Chamaedorea costaricana

Coccothrinax species

Copernicia
baileyana

Cryosophila species

Cyphophoenix species'

Dypsis decaryi

Dypsis decipiens (habitat)

Dypsis
leptocheilos

Dypsis onilahensis

Euterpe edulis

Hedyscepe canterburyana

Howea forsteriana

Howea belmoreana

Jubaea chilensis

Kentiopsis oliviformis

Livistona decipiens

Parajubaea torallyi

Phoenix rupicola

Pinanga coronata

Pritchardia species

Pritchardia species

Ravenea glauca

Ravenea species

Rhapis humilus

Rhopalostylis sapida

Roystonea borinquena

Sabal causiarum

Syagrus pseudococos

Veitchia arecina

Wodyetia bifurcata

On all the
genera above there may be many more species within the same genus that also grow
well
for us here.
I apologize if I haven'tincluded your
favorite species in this group, but this is meant to be
a brief introduction
and
I wanted to keep it simple. I have utilized these
species in a brief article
summarizing Palms for Southern
California elsewhere
at this website

PLANT
CONTAINER SIZES

For growers
here on the West Coast, there are black plastic containers that most of us use
on our plants. Surprisingly, there are differences between
the pots used
on the West Coast and East Coast of the U.S. Here we refer to most
containers by "gallon size" On the East Coast pots are referred to
by
"diameter in inches". So,
back East you might find a plant in a "14 inch pot". Here is might be
called a "15 gallon pot". If you visit our price
and availability catalog,
plants are shown by theirpot size. I'm hoping that this Blog post this morning will help clarify
what individual pots look like.

CONTAINER SIZE

PHOTO EMPTY
CONTAINER

PHOTO OF
PLANTS IN
THIS CONTAINER

BAND SIZE CONTAINERThis pot is 3 x 3 x 9 inches, square in shape. It is used for
seedling plants. For most growers, it has replaced the one gallon pot.
It is a bit deeper and easier to place in carrying trays. It also
conserves space on benches because these can be placed close together.
You can get a pretty nice plant in a band container, sometimes up to 30
inches tall.

ONE GALLON POTThis is a very common pot used, especially by flower growers
and those producing small shrubs. It's a typical first step after
germinating a seedling. We prefer using the band containers above as
they conserve table and bench space more efficiently and are deeper.
Diameter of this pot is six inches but it's only about seven inches
deep.

TWO GALLON POT
This pot is 7 to 8 inches wide and about 8 inches deep. It is a nice
size to move a band plant into. But, it is not particularly deep, so
you have to make sure the roots fit into the container. This pot will
produce an average plant that is about 2 feet tall. We grow a lot of
palms in these pots.

FIVE GALLON POT
This pot is 10 inches wide and about 10 inches deep. It produces a
plant that is one of the most common sized palms that we sell. It is
popular because it's not too heavy to lift and plants are typically
three to five feet tall, depending on the species.

SEVEN GALLON POT
We really like this container because it produces a good sized plant but
isn't as heavy to carry as a 15g. But, for some manufacturing reason,
this pot costs twice as much as a 15g. Therefore, most growers aren't
buying this sized pot very much nowadays. It is 12 inches wide, and
about 12 inches deep.

FIFTEEN GALLON POT
This is the most popular sized purchased by people who want a landscape
or near-landscape ready size of plant. This container typically
supports a palm from four to eight feet size. Weight of this size of
container with soil and plant is usually sixty to ninety pounds. It's
size is 15 to 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Note how this size pot
usually has a nice carrying lip at the top of the pot.

TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE GALLON POTS
This is the next size up from a 15g. These pots are typically about 18
to 20 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches deep. They weight anywhere from
125 to 150 pounds with their soil. They can produce a plant larger than
the 15g, typically 8 to 10 feet. They usually have a flat lip on the top
as shown. The pot shown here is actually a 25g pot. 20 g are a bit
smaller.

24 INCH BOX CONTAINER
This box is 24 inches wide, square in shape and about 22 to 24 inches
deep. The weight of this container depends on the mix, but is anywhere
from 175 to 300 pounds (this heavier weight is if one is using a very
heavy soil). It takes two men to lift one of these. We prefer plastic
boxes as shown here, but they are much more expensive than wooden box.
They last a very long time.

ALL POT SIZES IN A ROWThis pot showsall
the sizes lined up in a row. In order, left to right are: